Online Desk:  A chemical warehouse of a shoe factory was gutted in a fire that broke out in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area early Saturday.

The fire broke out at the chemical warehouse of a shoe factory named Asia Rubber Industry around 3:30 am and engulfed it, said deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Dhaka division) Saleh Uddin.

On information, nine firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control around 6 am.

The firefighting units are working to fully douse the fire.

“It took time to extinguish the fire as there were plastic materials inside the warehouse. Plastic and adhesive used for making shoes were stocked in the warehouse,” Saleh Uddin said.

The firefighting units struggled a lot to reach the spot due to narrow roads, he said, adding, “We also faced difficulties in bringing water due to scarcity of water resources in the area.”

However, the reason behind the fire could not be known immediately and a probe committee will be formed to identify the reason.

The extent of losses caused by the fire will be known later.

In 2019, 67 people were killed and 41 were injured in a devastating fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through four other adjacent buildings in the Chawkbazar area.