(MENAFN) A devastating fire tore through a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in the densely populated Mirpur district of Dhaka, killing at least 16 people, according to the Bangladesh Fire Service.

The blaze erupted around midday in a seven-story building housing the garment facility. It rapidly spread to a neighboring chemical storage site containing bleaching powder, plastic, and hydrogen peroxide, officials said.

Fire officials warned the death toll could climb as recovery operations continue. “An operation to clean up the aftermath of the fire is still underway,” the Fire Service's media cell said in a statement.

Twelve firefighting units responded to the alarm and managed to douse the main blaze, though small fires remain active in the area.

All recovered bodies were found within the garment facility and have been laid in front of the building. The Fire Department confirmed that the remains will be turned over to police for legal proceedings.

Preliminary reports suggest toxic gases from the burning chemicals may have contributed to the fatalities. “It was initially assumed that these people died as a result of harmful gases emanating from there,” fire authorities stated.

The adjacent warehouse remains ablaze, according to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, who is overseeing the site investigation. “The search is still ongoing. The chemical warehouse next to it is still on fire,” he told reporters.

Authorities have yet to locate any representatives from the warehouse. “No owners, officials, or employees of the chemical warehouse have been found since the incident and it appears that the chemical warehouse does not have permission or a license,” Chowdhury said.

“Details will be disclosed after the investigation,” he added.

The incident reignites long-standing concerns over industrial safety in Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments after China. The RMG sector, which brought in $38.48 billion in exports in 2024, employs about four million workers, most of them women and from low-income backgrounds.

Despite its global economic role, Bangladesh’s garment industry continues to grapple with chronic safety lapses, particularly in overcrowded zones like Mirpur, where unauthorized chemical storage remains a significant hazard.

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