A fire in the second-floor library of Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa in the Signboard area of Fatullah, Narayanganj, left 63 students ill from smoke inhalation and admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka. Four students are in critical condition and have been moved to the intensive care unit, hospital officials said.
The fire broke out at about 1:55am on Monday, November 9, and was brought under control at 3:44am, according to the Fire Service.
Sultan Mahmud Shikder, resident physician at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said 63 students aged between 10 and 30 had been brought to the hospital after falling ill from smoke exposure.
Four of the students were taken to the ICU due to their critical condition. One of them is currently receiving breathing support through a mechanical ventilator, Shikder said.
Three of the ICU patients were identified as Yusuf, 18, Khairul, 22, and Zobayer, 18.
Azizur Rahman, a teacher at Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa, said the institution is located in the Shantidhara area of Fatullah. He said the fire began in the library while students were asleep, and smoke spread through the building, causing many to fall ill.
Partha Haldar, a firefighter at Kanchpur Fire Station, said four Fire Service units were deployed after receiving the report of the fire at 1:55am.
“The fire originated in the library on the second floor of the madrasa,” Haldar said. “As books in the library caught fire, a large amount of smoke spread inside the building.”
Several students fell ill while asleep because of the smoke and were later sent to hospital, he said.
Fire Service officials initially suspect that the blaze may have started from a mosquito coil or an electrical short circuit. Several students reportedly suffered damage to their respiratory passages due to smoke exposure.
Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service, said the exact cause of the fire would be known after an investigation. He said injured students were receiving treatment at hospital.