Fire at Narayanganj Madrasa Leaves 63 Students Hospitalised; Four in ICU

A total of 63 students have been admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery following a fire at a madrasa in the Signboard area of Fatullah, Narayanganj. Four students were taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) in critical condition, while one has been placed on life support.

The fire broke out at Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa at around 2:00 am on Tuesday, following midnight on Monday, November 9. Five Fire Service units brought the blaze under control after approximately 30 minutes of effort.

According to Fire Service officials and local sources, the fire started in the library and office rooms on the second floor of the five-storey madrasa building. Thick black smoke quickly spread throughout the building, causing panic among the residential students. Many students became ill after inhaling the dense smoke. Firefighters and local residents later rescued them and sent them to hospital.

Sultan Mahmud Sikder, a resident surgeon at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, told the media on Tuesday morning, November 10, that four of the 63 admitted students had been taken to the ICU due to their critical condition. One of them was receiving life support.

He said none of the students had visible burn injuries. All had experienced respiratory problems, which were believed to have been caused by smoke inhalation. However, not all of them had sustained damage to their airways. The hospital was also considering discharging some of the students.

The Fire Service's preliminary assessment suggests that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.