A fire that broke out at Ananta Apparels Ltd, a garment factory inside the Adamjee Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Narayanganj, was brought under control after nearly four hours of firefighting efforts.

The blaze was extinguished at around 8:00 am on Wednesday (July 15) with the help of nine Fire Service units, said Saleh Uddin, Deputy Director of the Dhaka Division of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

According to officials, the fire originated in the factory`s storeroom in the early hours of the morning at the Siddhirganj-based industrial facility.

The fire spread rapidly, causing panic across the EPZ. However, no casualties were reported, and the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, journalists who arrived at the scene to cover the incident were prevented from entering the factory premises by the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA).

Saleh Uddin said the Fire Service was informed of the incident at 4:10 am. Although the EPZ`s own fire unit initially responded, the intensity of the blaze prompted the deployment of 11 Fire Service units from Narayanganj, Kanchpur and other nearby stations.

"After a prolonged operation, nine of the units managed to bring the fire under control. Since the storeroom contained fabric, small pockets of fire are still smouldering in some areas. However, there is no longer any risk of the fire spreading," he said.

He added that the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage could not be determined immediately.