Nine members of two families were injured in a fire triggered by a fridge compressor explosion at a house in Hirajil, Siddhirganj early Saturday morning.
All the victims have been admitted to the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka for treatment.
Initial reports suggested a gas line explosion, but investigations later confirmed that the fire was caused by the fridge’s compressor.
Senior Station Officer of Adamjee Fire Service, Md. Miron Mia, said, “Upon inspecting the scene, we found that the fridge’s compressor had ruptured, which caused the fire. There were no signs of any other type of gas leak in or around the house. Everything indicates that the explosion originated from the fridge itself.”
The injured include daily laborer Tanzil Islam (40), his wife Asma Begum (35), and their two children Trisha Akter (17) and Arafat (15); along with another daily laborer Hasan (35), his wife Salma Begum (32), and their three children Imam Uddin (1 month), Jannat (4), and Muntaha (11).
Dr. Sultan Mahmud Shikdar, acting residential surgeon at the National Burn Institute, reported that all nine patients were brought to the hospital early morning. Hasan suffered burns on 44% of his body, Salma 48%, Asma 48%, Trisha 53%, Jannat 40%, Muntaha 37%, and one-month-old Imam 30%. Tanzil Islam, however, was treated and discharged after initial care.
Hasan’s younger brother, Rokibul, said that both Hasan and Tanzil worked as daily laborers and lived with their families in the semi-pucca house. He added that the explosion occurred suddenly during the night, leaving members of both families injured. They were immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.
