Fire
Rajbari: 2 children charred to death while playing
Two children have been burnt to death as a fire broke out at a Kalukhali upazila house in Rajbari.
The deceased were identified as Hujaifa, 8, son of Babu Biswas, and Hasan, 3, son of Ikram, of the upazila.
Read more: Five of a family charred to death in Chattogram
The fire broke out Thursday afternoon and engulfed the house of Babu Biswas when the children were playing in the kitchen and accidentally exposed the gas cylinder to fire, Kalukhali Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shah Md Shajeeb said.
All gas cylinders, whatever the gas content, are potentially dangerous when exposed to fire and may explode.
The children received serious burn injuries as the fire quickly ripped through the kitchen where dry fuel (dried branches of trees and jute sticks) was stored.
Read more: 4-year-old boy charred to death in Sherpur
They were rushed to Faridpur's Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College and Hospital where Hasan succumbed to his injuries.
Hujaifa was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment where he died while undergoing treatment, the UNO said.
4 dwelling houses, 2 shops gutted in Barishal fire
Four dwelling houses and two shops were gutted in a fire in Bangabandhu Colony of the district’s Chadmari on Tuesday night.
Fortunately, no one sustained injuries in the fire that erupted around 7.30pm.
Mizanur Rahman, joint director of Fire Service and Civil Defence department in Barishal, said on information seven firefighting units responded to the fire and tamed it within an half hour.
Read more: Shoe factory catches fire in Ctg
Lives of over 500 residents of the colony were saved from the fire due to an immediate response from the life-saving force, he said, adding that the reason behind the blaze could not be known instantly.
Three to four houses were also damaged when the fire was being doused, he said.
Some of the residents namely Nur Jamaddar, Khalil Hawlader and Bazlu alleged that their opponents set the fire to their colony in a planned way.
District Deputy Commissioner Jahangir Hossain has already visited the spot and assured the victims of providing assistance.
Elderly woman dies while basking in warmth of fire in Sirajganj
An elderly woman died who suffered from burn injuries while trying to stay warm by igniting bonfires in Sirajganj.Five days after the incident, Jahura Begum, 71, died while receiving treatment at the Sirajganj 250 Bed Bongamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib General Hospital.Md. Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Sirajganj Sadar police station, confirmed the incident occurred on Monday, 9 January, while the victim was warming herself by lighting a fire.
Also read: Gopalganj woman who ‘set on fire by brother-in-law’ diesHer family rescued and rushed her to the hospital in serious condition.The dead body of the deceased was handed over to the family as no complaint was filed, he said.A case has been filed in this regard at the police station, he added.
Five of a family charred to death in Chattogram
Five members of a family, including two children, who were asleep in their house, were found charred to death in Rangunia early Friday, police said.
The dead were identified as Kangal Boshak, 70, Lolita Boshak, 60, Lucky Boshak, 32, Saraswati Boshak, 4, and Sowrabh Boshak, 12.
Read more: Shoe factory catches fire in Ctg
Another member of the family, Khokon Boshak, 42, was rushed to Chittagong Medical College in a critical condition.
The fire broke out and engulfed the house of Abdul Malek at the Mohajonpara area of Parua union around 2am.
Abdul Hamid Mia, deputy assistant director of Chattogram fire service, said firefighters reached the spot after getting the information and they could tame the flames around 4am.
An accidental fire outbreak was suspected to be the reason for the accident.
Read more: Gopalganj woman who ‘set on fire by brother-in-law’ dies
However, Hamid said the exact reasons for the fire mishap and the extent of damage could not immediately be confirmed.
Abu Bakar, sub-inspector of Rangunia Police Station, said: "The bodies of five members of the family were brought to the police station in the morning."
Shoe factory catches fire in Ctg
A fire broke out in a shoe factory on the sixth floor of Nurpur Market in the port city’s New Market area on Thursday afternoon.
The blaze erupted in the factory around 3.30pm. There are some other markets in the adjacent areas.
Read more: Fire at Eastern Refinery in Ctg: 4 burnt
Fazlul Quader, control room operator at Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Denfence Station, said on information eight firefighting units rushed to the spot and are working to tame it.
5 of a family burnt in Dhaka fire
Five members of a family sustained severe burn injuries in a fire following a blast at a house in Dhamrai upazila of the district early Saturday.
Those suffered burn injuries are Md Manjurul, 32, a garment worker, his wife Josna Begum, 25, their two-year-old daughter Mariam, Josna’s elder sister Hosna Begum, 30 and her daughter Sadiya Akter, 18, all hail from Kishoreganj uapzila of Nilphamari district.
Manjurul received 33 percent burns while Josna 40 percent, Morium 15 percent, Hosna 25 percent and Sadiya 75 percent, said Dr SM Ayub Hossain, resident surgeon of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Neighbour Sufian, who took the injured people to the hospital, said the blast occurred around 5.30am when Josna tried to light their gas stove on the second floor of their rented house at Kumral village under Dhamrai.
It is suspected that fire originated from gas leaked from the gas cylinder in the kitchen.
3 of a family suffer burns in Dhaka fire
Three members of a family sustained burn injuries in a fire that broke out apparently from gas leakage at a house in the city’s Uttarkhan area on Friday night.
The injured were identified as Dalia Rahman, 35, Dalia’s mother Aleya Begum, 59 and Anjana Rahman, 30, niece of Dalia of Atipara area.
Inspector Bachhu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said the fire broke out on the 2nd floor of the building when Dalia along with her mother and niece went to the kitchen and turned on the stove for making tea around 8 pm, leaving them injured.
Later they were taken to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Of the injured, Aleya received 60 percent burn injuries while Anjana 30 percent.
Also read: Electric transformer catches fire behind Gulshan Central Mosque
Dalia, who was slightly injured in the fire incident, has been given first aid.
On information, a firefighting unit rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. Primarily it is suspected that the fire might have originated from leakage in gas pipeline.
Massive fire at Cambodia hotel casino kills at least 19
A massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino Thursday injured over 60 people and killed at least 19 — a number that officials warned would rise after the search for bodies resumes Friday.
The blaze, which started around midnight Wednesday, was put out over 12 hours later at 2 p.m. Thursday, said Sek Sokhom, head of Banteay Meanchey province’s information department. He said more than 60 people were injured and the death toll was expected to rise once rescuers are able to access victims who were believed to still be under debris or in locked rooms.
Videos posted on social media showed people falling from a roof after they were trapped by the fire at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in the town of Poipet.
In a video posted by Cambodia’s firefighting agency, a crowd could be heard shouting pleas to rescue people trapped on the roof of the hotel complex, which is more than a dozen stories tall at its highest point. The video showed at least one person falling as the flames reached the roof.
“Oh, please help rescue them. Pump water, pump water!” shouted onlookers.
The Department of Fire Prevention, Extinguishing and Rescue said it heard calls for help at 4 a.m. emanating from rooms on the 13th, 14th and 15th floors. Hands and even a mobile phone's flashlight were seen waving from windows inside the complex.
“The fire was massive, and was inside the casino, so it was difficult for our water cannons to reach it,” said a firefighter in the video posted online by the fire department.
Read more: Rain, floods in Philippines leave 32 dead, others missing
Many of those inside, both customers and staff, were from neighboring Thailand, which sent firetrucks and emergency workers Thursday to help cope with the crisis in the bustling border town.
An initial investigation found that the fire may have been caused New Year’s holiday decorations drawing too much electricity, causing wires to overheat and burn, Sek Sokhom said. The dead and injured comprised people of several nationalities, including Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Cambodian, he said.
A local Buddhist temple was being used to receive their bodies.
The Grand Diamond City casino complex has 500 employees, and had 1,000 customers Wednesday, according to a report from Soth Kimkolmony, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management. It was unclear how many were present when the fire broke out.
“Right now, we are trying to bring the dead bodies from the building down. I don’t think there will be any survivors because of very thick smoke. Even we all (the rescue staff) have to wear proper gear when we go inside the building, otherwise we cannot breathe at all,” said Montri Khaosa-ard, a staff member of Thailand Ruamkatanyu Foundation, a social welfare organization that sends volunteers to disaster scenes.
Thai and Cambodian rescue teams worked side by side in Thursday's search of the premises, but paused efforts their searched efforts at the dangerously damaged site as night fell.
Thailand’s public television network, Thai PBS, reported that 50 Thais, both staff and customers, had been trapped inside the casino complex. It cited reports that the emergency ward in Aranyaprathet Hospital on the Thai side of the border was full and some victims had to be sent to other hospitals.
Poipet in western Cambodia is a site of busy cross-border trade and tourism opposite the city of Aranyaprathet in more affluent Thailand.
Read more: Heavy snow in Japan leaves 17 dead, dozens injured
Casinos are illegal in Thailand. Many Thais visit neighboring countries such as Cambodia — a popular tourist destination with convenient international connections — to gamble. Poipet has a cluster of more than a dozen casinos.
The Grand Diamond City casino is just a short walk from the border checkpoint with Thailand and popular with customers who make the four-hour drive from the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Gazipur textile godown fire under control
A fire that broke out in a textile waste warehouse in Gazipur on Wednesday morning was brought under control, officials said.
The blaze started in the warehouse in the Dewaliabari area of Konabari around 7.30am, said Miraj Islam, an officer at Gazipur DBL Fire Service Station.
Read: Over 100 shops gutted in Gazipur textile market fire
On information, three fire-fighting units rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control around 9:10am, he added.
The exact cause of the fire could not be known immediately, he said.
No injuries or casualties were reported, said the officer adding that the extent of damages is yet to be ascertained.
22 dead in fire at illegal shelter in Russia
A fire Saturday at a private shelter in the Siberian city of Kemerovo that was operating illegally killed 22 people, Russian officials said.
Initial reports described the wooden building in the city 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) east of Moscow as a nursing home, but the country's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, later said it was a “temporary residence for persons in a difficult life situation.”
The committee said a man who rented the building has been arrested and charged with violation of safety regulations resulting in multiple deaths. The committee's statement did not identify him, but news reports said he was a local clergyman.
Read more: 10 dead, including 5 children, in France apartment fire
The cause of the fire that broke out before dawn has not been determined, but the investigative committee said residents told the shelter operator on the day before the fire that the building's coal-fired boiler was malfunctioning.
Six other people were injured in the blaze that destroyed the two-story building.