A deadly fire that erupted at a gas lighter production facility on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka has claimed at least five lives, local authorities confirmed Saturday. The inferno ignited in the Kadamtali neighborhood of Keraniganj, a suburban area located just outside Dhaka’s city limits, according to Bangladesh’s Fire Service and Civil Defence department.
In response to the emergency, seven fully-equipped firefighting teams were immediately dispatched to the site to battle the blaze. Fire department officials reported that the intense fire burned for multiple hours before crews were able to fully bring it under control by late Saturday.
By the time the fire was contained, search and recovery teams had retrieved five bodies from the charred facility. None of the deceased had been immediately identified as of Saturday evening, as authorities work to notify next of kin and confirm identities through forensic processes.
Officials added that the exact origin and cause of the fire remains unknown, and a full formal investigation has been launched to determine what sparked the blaze and whether any safety violations contributed to the fatal incident.