The fire that broke out at a cotton warehouse in the Chhoto Kumira area of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram on Saturday is yet to be doused though 23 hours have passed.

Eight vehicles from four fire stations were seen working to douse the fire at about 9:30am when this report was filed.

Abdul Hamid Mia, deputy assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense, told New Age that they were working to douse the fire completely.

‘Army, Navy and Air Force teams joined the operation on Saturday evening,’ he said.

The fire broke out at the cotton warehouse, owned by SL Group, at about 10:30am on Saturday.

The actual cause of the fire could be known only after investigation, said fire service officials.

No injuries were reported in the fire, said officials.

The cotton warehouse was run by the Unitex Spinning Mills after taking rent from the SL Group, according to Sitakunda upazila nirbahi officer Shahadat Hossain.

The UNO informed New Age that SL Group was conducting renovation work at the warehouse. He suspected that the fire might have been sparked by ongoing welding work at the warehouse.

Chattogram deputy commissioner Abul Bashar Md Fakhruzzaman said that they formed a 10-member probe body, headed by Chattogram deputy director (local government) Badiul Alam, to investigate the fire incident.

‘We were on the spot till morning and it was noticed that there was a huge amount of cotton stored in the warehouse,’ he said.

Quoting the warehouse officials, the DC said that 2700 tonnes of cotton were stored in the warehouse which led the fire to exist for a long time.

Earlier on March 4, seven people were killed and at least 30 injured in an explosion at Sheema Oxygen Plant in Kadamrasul area of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram.

On June 4, 2022, at least 51 people, including 10 firefighters, were killed and more than 200 were injured in a fire and explosion at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram, just half a kilometre away from the fresh explosion site of Sheema Oxygen Plant.