A preliminary report prepared by the Fire Department on last week's devastating fire at the AMRI Hospitals, Dhakuria, has confirmed the presence of combustible material in the basement of hospital which prolonged the fire resulting in it becoming deadly, Minister for Fire and Emergency Javed Ahmed Khan State said here on Wednesday.
“There was the presence of diesel, ether, spirit and other combustible substances which sustained the fire for a longer period,” he told The Hindu .
Eye-witnesses account
Sources in the Fire Department said the report is based on eye-witnesses accounts. It estimates that the fire may have started 2.15 am although the fire brigade was informed about 4.10 am.
Mr. Khan said that a preliminary report was submitted to him by Director-General of Fire Services D. P .Tarania.
He said since the State forensic laboratory has not submitted any report, the reason for the fire could not be ascertained.
“We will be able to complete our outdoor work soon [collecting samples and examining the site of the occurrence]. This will be followed by the reconstruction on events during the fire based on the scientific facts that we have got,” director of State Forensic Science Laboratory Dhurjyoti Sengupta said.
He added that forensic scientists have visited AMRI Hospitals four times and they will submit their report at the earliest.
