DU dormitory fire doused

Bangla Press Desk:  Firefighters completed doused a fire within ten minutes after it erupted at the “Bijoy Ekattor Hall” of Dhaka University (DU) on Monday evening.

The blaze originated in several canteen shops located in the extension part of the student dormitory, and the fire service arrived minutes after receiving a call.

According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the control room received the emergency call at 6:13pm, after which four units were dispatched immediately.

Students reported hearing a loud sound before seeing flames inside one of the canteen’s food shops. Many students rushed out of the building as smoke spread through the area.

Dr SM Ali Reza, provost of Bijoy Ekattor Hall, told the Daily Sun that the fire was initially believed to have been caused by a gas cylinder explosion in one of the shops.

Dhaka University Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed said two fire service units reached the spot within five to seven minutes. “The proctorial team has informed me that the fire is completely under control so far,” he said, adding that further assessment of damage is yet to be completed.

No casualties or serious injuries have been reported. The university administration stated that a detailed report on the cause and extent of damage will be available after the investigation.

BP/SP