The disastrous fire that claimed the lives of at least 46 people in the capital’s Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall in the Baily Road area, originated from a shop in the building’s ground floor.

“There was a small shop on the ground floor from where a gas cylinder exploded. The fire had spread from there. Since the building was filled with restaurants, naturally there were gas cylinders,” Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General (DG) M Khurshid Hossain said.

He made the comment while talking to reporters after visiting the site and meeting the injured at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 11:30am on Friday.

“The building had an emergency fire extinguishing system, and they tried to use it. However, when many cylinders exploded, the fire eventually went out of control.” he said when asked about the fire safety system in the building.

Though according to the the fire service also said there was no system to extinguish the fire in the building.

On the devastating night, many, including the chief of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Mohammad Ali Mia stated that the fire started from the ground floor of the building.

Scene of the fire

At least 46 people were killed, and over 20 others sustained severe injuries by the blazes. Seemingly, majority of the people died as they jumped off the building or from burns or suffocation. firefighters who brought the fire under control around 12:30am stated.

Firefighters rescued 70 people, including 42 in unconscious state, from the rooftop and different floors of the seven-storey building.

The fire broke out at around 9:45pm.

Officials say the blaze spread fast due to the presence of gas cylinders on several floors in the restaurant kitchens. People could not leave the building due to smoke in the staircase.