Sundarban Square Market in Dhaka’s Gulistan area, which caught fire on Saturday morning, had been officially identified as a fire hazard two to three years ago, according to the Fire Service.

The fire broke out around 10:00 AM on the fifth floor of the market. Upon receiving the alert, 11 firefighting units rushed to the scene and managed to bring the blaze under control.

Kazi Najmuzzaman, Assistant Director (Dhaka) of the Fire Service, told reporters at the site, “There were no fire safety systems inside the building. Our department had previously marked this structure as risky. When the fire broke out, there were still many people inside, including on the ground and fourth floors. Despite repeated warnings, they were reluctant to evacuate, which made it difficult for our team to work.”

He added that a joint effort involving the police, fire service, and army helped successfully evacuate the building and control the situation.

When asked about damages, Najmuzzaman stated that it is too early to assess the extent of the losses. “We will need to conduct a detailed investigation before we can determine the full scale of the damage,” he said.