Photo: Courtesy
An unfortunate fire incident occurred at one of S. Alam Refined Sugar Mill's warehouses on the evening of March 4, resulting in significant damage. However, coordinated efforts of government officials, the fire service, Navy, Air Force, as well as the mill's employees and administration, the fire was completely extinguished after nearly 64 hours. Cleanup operations at the mill have commenced in full swing, with sugar production and supply slated to resume from this coming Saturday, March 9.
As a result of the fire incident, around 100,000 metric tons of unrefined sugar have been lost to the flames. Fortunately, the other 3-4 warehouses adjacent to the affected one have not been damaged by the fire. Refined sugar ready for distribution within the next 10-12 days has been prepared, ensuring a steady supply to consumers. Moreover, when sugar refinement resumes on Saturday, it will help to maintain market stability.
Akhtar Hasan, General Manager, S. Alam Group, stated, "Supply to the market from the stored processed sugar has already begun since this afternoon. Production will commence at the main factory from next Saturday. Maximum effort will be made to ensure that this unfortunate incident does not affect the market."
"The warehouse that was engulfed in flames contained over 100,000 metric tons of unrefined sugar. The remaining warehouses currently hold 641,000 metric tons of sugar inventory," he added.
S. Alam Refined Sugar Mill had all types of fire equipment and fire prevention measures in place as per requirements. However, due to the severity of the fire, it could not be immediately controlled. In light of this, an investigative committee comprising seven members led by the Additional District Magistrate has been formed by the district administration to determine the cause of the largest fire incident in the sugar mill. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments has started investigating whether this was an act of sabotage.
To mitigate environmental pollution caused by the incident, melted sugar is being removed from S. Alam Group's vacant land. Nearly 30 dump trucks are working hard to collect the melted raw sugar and prevent it from reaching the nearby river. Also, there was a concern about the warehouse walls collapsing, prompting the company to build a sand embankment to ensure protection. All necessary precautions are being taken based on expert advice.
Messenger/Mumu
