'We blacked out after three hours': A survivor's tale of Bailey Road tragedy

Sumaiya and her husband Rakib Hasan, both private jobholders, were out for dinner at Khana's restaurant located at Level-3 of Green Cozy Cottage building at Bailey Road in Dhaka on Thursday (29 February) night.

"It was nearing 10pm. The waiter told us we have to place orders before 10:30pm as their kitchen will be closed after that. We were looking through the menu when we saw everyone was in a hurry to get out. 

"We followed suit. After going some steps ahead, we saw that everything was shrouded in smoke," Sumaiya told The Business Standard on Friday while describing the tragic fire incident in the building last night that killed nearly four dozen people and injured many more.

She continued, "When we got out of the restaurant, smoke had covered every inch. We couldn't see anything. Everyone was going up the stairs. We followed them.

"While going up, we got more confused. There was hot air coming from that way while smoke was coming from below. We didn't know which way to go. We couldn't make out exactly where the fire had started.

"At one point someone shouted that the fire originated in one of the upper floors and that we should head downstairs. We descended through the stairs but found that the main gate was closed off and there was fire outside. We couldn't get out.

"We rode back up the stairs to the second floor. The smoke was too toxic by then for us to go up any further. We went inside a showroom on that floor. There were two employees of the showroom also trapped there.

"Some moments after, the smoke began to enter there too. We retreated to the washroom inside the showroom. I called my brother-in-law to get help.

"We were stuck there for two and a half hours trying our best to stay alive. We poured water on our bodies. Did everything we could to prevent gas from entering the washroom. But at one point, the gas invaded.

"At that point we focused on just staying conscious. But after some three hours, we blacked out.

"Later, we were rescued by firefighters. They tried to make us conscious and we got our senses back after some time. Then we were brought down through the stairs.

"We were immediately taken to the Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute. Both me and my husband are safe now."

Sumaiya and Rakib are still undergoing treatment at the hospital.

At least 46 people died in the fire in the commercial building that housed multiple restaurants, clothing stores and other showrooms.