A fire at Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa in the Signboard area of Fatullah, Narayanganj, left 79 students ill from smoke inhalation and hospitalized. Four of them were placed in the intensive care unit (ICU) in critical condition.
The fire broke out around 1:55 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday (following Monday, 9 November). Four units of the Fire Service brought the blaze under control after nearly two hours of efforts.
Dr. Sultan Mahmud Sikder, a resident physician at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said 79 people who fell ill from smoke were brought to the hospital after the fire. Three were in critical condition. The students admitted to the ICU are Yusuf (18), Khairul (22), and Jobayer (18).
Of those affected, 63 were admitted and kept under observation. The remaining 16 received necessary treatment and evaluation and were discharged through the outpatient department.
Fire Service duty officer Shahjahan said the fire was reported at 1:55 a.m., after which four units were sent to the scene. The blaze was brought under control at 3:44 a.m. It originated on the second floor of the five-story madrasa building.
Students who came to the hospital for treatment said there was a library on the second floor of the building, which was completely gutted in the fire.
Citing the ill students, Dr. Sultan Mahmud Sikder said the fire is believed to have started from an electrical short circuit in one part of the madrasa. Thick smoke then spread quickly, causing panic among the students inside the building. A rush to get out followed. Some students suffered damage to their respiratory tracts due to the smoke.