The government will not spare any one responsible for the devastating factory fire in Rupganj, Home Minister Asaduzzman Khan said on Saturday after announcing the arrest of eight people, including the owner of the enterprise, in this connection.

The home minister was talking to reporters after visiting the burnt Hashem Foods factory, a concern of Sajeeb Group, at Bhulta under Rupganj in Narayanganj.

Police said they arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group Sajeeb Group that owns the factory, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin.

The eight will be produced before court later in the day, said Superintendent of Police (Narayanganj) Md Zaidul Alam.

Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested

“None will be spared if their negligence is proven behind the factory fire,” the home minster said.

So far 52 workers, some of them reportedly teen-aged boys and girls, were killed in the devastating fire that tore through the seven-story factory that produced foods and beverages such as juice, cold drinks, toast biscuits and laccha semai.

Asaduzzman said that three separate committees have been formed to investigate the incident and those responsible can be found only after their reports.

Earlier, police filed a case with Rupganj police station against the eight people and many unknown others following the massive fire in the factory.

According to the fire service, huge amount of plastic and packaging materials in the building may have fuelled the fire in just a few minutes after it broke out.

They said the blocked door at the factory’s staircase has caused so many deaths that could have been avoided.

Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames

It took around 27 hours for 18 fire fighting units to douse the blaze completely as at some floors huge amounts of inflammable substances were stockpiled.

On Friday noon, after breaking the locked door of the fourth floor, fire fighters discovered rows of bodies burnt to ashes.  

Fire fighters recovered 49 bodies from the floor and sent them to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, which took the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. None of the 49 bodies could be identified yet as they have completely been charred.

Three others died from injuries after jumping off the building on Thursday.