Ctg fire: Army declares BM Container Depot as risk free
However, the fire has not been fully extinguished yet
The fire at BM Container Depot in Chattogram's Sitakunda has been bought under control; however, the fire is yet to be fully extinguished, the Army said.
There is no risk of any further explosion, said Lieutenant Colonel Ariful Islam Himel at a briefing on the spot at 11:30am on Tuesday (7 June).
"Since the incident, we have tried our best to bring the fire under control. However, as there was no information on the quantity of chemicals in the depot, we had to speed up the process to prevent any new casualties. An army team is working to determine if there are any more explosive chemicals in the depot," he added.
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"Although the fire was under control, it was not yet possible to put out the fire completely. Smoke is still rising from 18-20 containers. Five units of fire service are working to put out the fire. In addition to the fire service, members of the army, RAB, police and Ansar are on duty," said the army official.
The army banned entry to the depot due to the presence of chemicals in the containers. Fire service personnel in charge of fire control feared another explosion could occur. So they have to continue to put out the fire very carefully and well-planned.
"Smoke was coming out of some containers at BM container depot. We are trying to put out the fire. But we have to work carefully as we don't know about the quantity of chemicals in the containers," Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense Assistant Director Faruk Hossain Sikder said.
An explosion took place at BM Container Depot in Sitakunda on Saturday (4 June) night. At least 41 people, including members of the fire service, were killed. Hundreds of people have been burnt and are being treated at various hospitals. The names of 25 out of 41 people have been identified.
