A woman died and 30 others were injured as a fire broke out in a five-storey commercial building in Chitalmari upazila of Bagerhat on Monday.

Police and fire service members recovered the body of a middle-aged woman from a clinic in the building. 

Though her identity was not initially confirmed by officials a local source  identified her as Anita Biswas,  a staffer at the clinic, from Kuraltola village in Chitalmari.

Md. Shahadat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chitalmari police station, said the fire started on the ground floor in the morning and rapidly spread, causing panic among those inside. 

Witnesses said flames were first seen around 8:30 am at Maisha Plaza on Chitalmari's main road which spread quickly in the building which houses Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank, Bank Asia, insurance companies, a clinic, a beauty salon, shops, and showrooms.

Some 25 to 30 injured people were rescued and sent to the Chitalmari Upazila Health Complex and other hospitals. Many fell unconscious due to the heavy smoke.
 
Md. Shahabuddin, Senior Station Officer at Bagerhat Fire Brigade and Civil Defence, said the fire was brought under control around 12 pm.

He said eight units from Bagerhat, Khulna, Chitalmari, Mollahat, and Tungipara were deployed. 

“We searched the building afterward but couldn’t immediately confirm the cause,”he added.

Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Kamrul Hasan, who visited the scene, said 21 people who lost consciousness were admitted to the upazila health complex.

The second floor houses several bank branches, but they weren’t damaged, he said.