Fuel station near BM Container Depot poses bigger risk

It has been over 40 hours since a massive fire broke out at Chattogram's BM Container Depot but authorities are still struggling to bring the blaze under control due to the hazardous chemicals.

A fuel station located some 30 yards from the source of the fire is making matters worse and the situation more complicated and dangerous for the firefighters. 

Officials said it was the most dangerous situation at the moment.

During a visit on Monday morning, The Business Standard saw several containers burning from the inside near the fuel station.

Water was being sprayed from a distance with "monitors" (a controllable high-capacity water jet used for manual or automatic fire fighting) to prevent the blaze from spreading further and causing more casualties.

Uching Marma, team leader at the Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Defence, said, "A major accident could happen at any time as the petrol pump is very close to the fire. 

"Water is being sprayed on the west side of the depot to prevent it from spreading."

Abdul Haque of Cumilla Fire Service and Civil Defence said that they are not taking the risk of getting too close to the fire as drums containing hydrogen peroxide are scattered throughout the depot premise. 

"We are not being able to get water inside the containers," he added.

Meanwhile, Akhtaruzzaman, assistant director of the Cumilla Fire Service and Civil Defence, hoped that the flames should not spread anymore as all the fuel (at the pump) is stored underground. 

"However, it will take more time for us to extinguish the fire in its entirety."

Mahbub-e-Ilahi, inspector at the Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Defence, who is currently on the spot of the horrific incident, said that depot authorities lack any knowledge about the chemicals that caused the fire. 

"We have seen in previous accidents of such kind that the owners tend to intentionally hide information. This is why nine of our colleagues had to die."

When asked about the amount and types of chemicals kept in the depot, Smart Group GM (admin) Maj (retd) Shamsul Haider Siddiqui, representing the depot authorities, said, "We do not have any exact information regarding this as those who had are either currently injured or dead. But our efforts are underway.

"We have also formed a probe body to investigate the incident." 

A container loaded with hydrogen peroxide was the main reason for the blast that rocked Chattogram on Saturday night. 

As of Monday noon, total 49 people died and over 200 got injured in the horrific fire that was followed by multiple explosions.

According to the claims made by depot the management, the chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide, were kept inside following all necessary clearances.

However, sources at the concerned government offices responsible to supervise and overlook the handling and usage of such chemicals denied such claims.