Heating Machines
Aswad used to dye, knit and finish fabrics at the unit where the fire started, Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, said by telephone after visiting the site.
“It seems the fire was sparked by heating machines and flames leapt upward and spread to the top floor,†Akter said. The top floor was badly burnt and machines were damaged, she said. Workers at the unit had been unable to douse the fire as the presence of highly inflammable material caused it to spread fast, Akter said, citing a stores officer.
Bangladesh’s garment industry expansion has been marred by factories operated in buildings with poor electrical wiring, an insufficient number of exits and little fire-fighting equipment. That has put pressure on international retailers to improve work conditions.
Last month, thousands of garment factory workers staged violent protests, seeking to more than double their monthly pay to $104 and forcing about 400 of the country’s 5,000 garment factories to close.
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