Fire in a Narayanganj madrasa library leaves 11 students ill from smoke
In an incident of fire in the library of a madrasa in Fatulla, Narayanganj, 11 students fell ill from the smoke and were admitted to hospital. One of them has been kept in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
The fire broke out on Tuesday (November 10) in the library of Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa in Shantidhara, in the Signboard area of Fatulla. The fire started in the library on the second floor of the madrasa.
Firefighter Ahsan Habib of the Fire Service headquarters said they received the news of the fire at the madrasa at 1:55am. After receiving the news, Fire Service personnel reached the scene and extinguished the fire at 3:43am.
According to preliminary information, students of the Kitab department of the madrasa were asleep at night. Suddenly, a fire broke out in the library. The students suffered breathing difficulties and inhalation burns from the smoke of the fire. Later, with the help of the madrasa’s teachers and others, they were rescued and taken to hospital.
Of the ill students, two were taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College (DMCH) Hospital and the remaining nine to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Among them, Yusuf has been kept in the ICU of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. The others are under treatment in the emergency department.
The ill students are Arif (22), Azizul Haque Siam (16), Hasnat (22), Naimul (15), Yusuf (18), Tanvir (21), Khairul (22), Hemayet Ullah (22), Labib (22), Ashraf (17) and Abid (17).
According to information given by madrasa teacher Azizur Rahman, all the students are students of the Kitab department of the madrasa.
Meanwhile, Partha Haldar, a firefighter at the Kanchpur Fire Station, said the fire started in the library on the second floor of the madrasa. Later, a large amount of smoke spread. Four units of the Fire Service worked at the scene to extinguish the fire. As several sleeping students fell ill because of the smoke, they were taken to hospital.
He also said the cause of the fire will be known after investigation. However, it is initially suspected that the fire may have started from a mosquito coil or an electrical short circuit.
An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fire. Those concerned said the physical condition of the students under treatment will be known later.
