NFPA Journal - Summer 2023 - 13
AP/MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
INTERNATIONAL
BURNING BAZAAR
AN IMMENSE FIRE AT A CLOTHING
MARKET IN BANGLADESH IS THE LATEST
DISASTER TO BEFALL A KEY HUB OF THE
GLOBAL GARMENT INDUSTRY
A
chaotic scene unfolded in the early morning
hours of April 4 when an inferno tore through a
popular clothing market in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
sending huge plumes of thick smoke wafting
through the city's oldest neighborhoods.
As many as 600 firefighters eventually arrived at the
Bangabazar Market to battle the massive blaze, which
began just after 6 a.m. and look more six hours to get under
control as hundreds of people watched from a bridge above.
High winds, along with " an enthusiastic crowd and a lack
of water, " made it difficult for firefighters to combat the
fire, Main Uddin, the Dhaka fire services head, told the
Guardian newspaper.
Local officials estimate that at least 3,000 vendor stalls,
most made of wood and tin, were destroyed in the fire, along
with many tons of fabrics and garments.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but the
timing for sellers could not have been worse. Most vendors
were carrying extra stocks of merchandise in preparation
for Eid, the Muslim festival celebrating the end of Ramadan,
which was only weeks away.
" The market had readymade garment products worth hundreds
of millions, " DM Habib, an official at Bangabazar Shop
Owners' Association, told Al Jazeera news. " I am unable to
describe the massive loss all of us are incurring. "
As the morning wore on, the frustrations of some shopkeepers
grew and then boiled over. One group, apparently
angered by how long it was taking to put out the blaze,
began hurling rocks and insults at firefighters. About 450
Dhaka police were dispatched to the scene to try and keep
order, and eventually dispersed the unruly crowd, according
to the Guardian.
Dhaka is an international hub for garment production and
is home to many of the factories that make popular Western
fashion brands. Those factories have been the scenes of
deadly fires and other incidents in recent years, in part due
to lax enforcement of fire and life safety regulations as well
as to sometimes deplorable labor practices.
The Bangabazar, built in the 1980s, has long been a destination
for bargain hunters to buy discounted Western-style
clothes that failed to meet export standards. In 2019, the
city fire department designated the Bangabazar a fire risk
and has repeatedly issued warning letters to the facility,
Uddin said.
No fatalities were reported in the blaze, though police said
that at least 11 people were injured, though none critically.
-JESSE ROMAN
NFPA .ORG/JOURNAL * NFPA JOURNAL | 13
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NFPA Journal - Summer 2023
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