Firefighters brought the fire that broke out at the Drug International Ltd factory in Cherag Ali area of Tongi, Gazipur, under control after four hours of efforts on Wednesday afternoon.

Twenty-one firefighting units brought the blaze under control around 1:35 pm, Brigadier General Sultanul Afrin Zunaid, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) told reporters near the factory.

No casualties have been reported so far but a firefighter suffered from respiratory problem while working inside the factory, he said.

“There are still some pockets of fire inside the factory and we need more time to extinguish it completely,” he added.

The fire originated on the third floor of the factory's four-storey building and spread to an adjacent building.

The presence of various chemical substances inside the factory exaggerated the fire, DG Zunaid said.

The building where the fire broke out was damaged, with some floors sustaining extensive damage, he added.

The fire broke out at Unit-2 of the company around 10:15am, said Station Officer Talha Bin Zashim of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters’ media cell.

The FSCD received information about the fire at 10:15am and dispatched firefighting units, he said.

Twenty-one firefighting units from Tongi, Uttara, Gazipur Chowrasta Modern, Mirpur, Kurmitola, Rajendrapur and Purbachal fire stations  joined to douse the fire fully.

Meanwhile, a Bangladesh Army vehicle carrying water arrived at the scene to assist firefighters in tackling the blaze.

The blaze quickly spread across parts of the factory, reportedly destroying medicines, machinery and other equipment inside the facility.

Station Officer of Tongi Fire Station Shahin Alam said firefighters rushed to the spot and began efforts to extinguish the fire.