Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-A devastating fire which broke out at a commercial building in Motijheel, the commercial hub of Bangladesh, Saturday afternoon has been doused nearly after 14 hours.
The firefighters managed to extinguish the fire around 5:30am Sunday, said duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence.
No casualties were reported in the blaze as Saturday was public holiday in Bangladesh.
Rafiqul Islam, assistant director of Fire Service, fell sick from the smoke billowing out the building during the firefighting effort and was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and was under observation, according to reports.
The blaze originated at around 4:00pm (BST) at the Bangladesh Industrial Finance Company Limited (BIFC), a non-banking financial institution, office on first floor of the 7th storied building, known as Miah Amanullah Bhaban.
Twelve fire fighting units work relentlessly from around 4:20pm to quench the blaze.
Thousands thronged the area as smoke billowed out of the building, enveloping nearby roads and footpaths.
Besides the BIFCL office, building tenants include Al-Arafah Islami Bank, Prime Finance and other commercial enterprises.
Fire service officials said the building was full of documents making it difficult to douse the flames.
BBN/AS/AD-15Mar15-1:30pm (BST)