Fire in Katabon: 'Save us any way you can, brother' – Johnny and Salam's Final Cry

"Brother, please save us any way you can. Our apartment is on fire." This was the final, desperate plea Johnny and Salam made over the phone to their neighbor Nazmul.

A fire broke out on the 13th and 14th floors of the Al Baraka Tower in Dhaka's Katabon area around 12:45 AM on Early Saturday. The blaze claimed lives of Md. Johnny (24) and Abdus Salam (20) .

Nabi Hossain Talks To Agamir Somoy. Photo: Agamir Somoy.

Nazmul's uncle, Md. Nabi Hossain, has been living in that building for the past 24 years. Just 30 minutes before the fire started, he, his nephew Nazmul, and the deceased Johnny and Salam had all eaten dinner together and chatted. Afterward, Johnny and Salam said they were going to watch a World Cup match on their phones, went to their own flat, locked the door, and lay down to sleep.

Nabi Hossain had fallen asleep in his room. Shortly after, his nephew Nazmul arrived speddily to him, screaming. Nazmul informed him that Johnny and Salam were calling from their flat and begging to be rescued.

Both Johnny and Salam were employees of lawyers' chambers located in the building. Lawyer Sarwar said that Salam was a clerk for Prosecutor Abdullah Al Noman of the International Crimes Tribunal, and Johnny was a clerk for Barrister Mowaz.

Despite attempts to rescue them by breaking down the door, Johnny and Salam could not be saved – Agamir Somoy.

Breaking the door was futile

Describing the incident to Agamir Somoy, Nabi Hossain said: "I opened my door and came out, only to see the entire flat filled with nothing but smoke. Together with my nephew, we broke down their flat's door. As soon as the door broke, sparks of fire burst out. We brought water and poured it on the flames, but the fire wouldn't die down. We couldn't see anything because of the smoke. It was getting hard to breathe. Even then, we tried to go into the fire to rescue them. But my family pulled me back."

He lamented agonizingly: "I tried so hard to save them. But I couldn't. If the Fire Service had arrived just a little earlier, maybe they could have been saved."

Despite breaking down the door in an attempt to rescue them, Johnny and Salam could not be saved.
Asif comes down from the 14th floor with his sick sister

Md. Asif was at his sick sister's apartment on the 14th floor of the building. He said that upon suddenly seeing a lot of smoke, he initially thought there was a fire in the kitchen. But when he went to the kitchen, he saw that the fire was rising upwards from the floor below (the 13th floor).

Johnny and Salam took shelter in this washroom to escape the fire – Agamir Somoy.

"My sister recently had tumor surgery. In that condition, I hurriedly carried her and somehow brought her out of the building. As soon as I got downstairs, I called 999 to inform the Fire Service," Asif told Agamir Somoy.

Asif alleged that although the fire broke out around 12:45 AM, the Fire Service took nearly 30 minutes to arrive. Initially, only one unit came. Additionally, they struggled to get the water pipes up to such a high floor. While spraying water, it was noticed that the Fire Service's hose was also cracked – water was leaking out instead of going onto the fire.

To save their lives, Johnny and Salam had taken shelter in the bathroom.
Md. Sharif, the building's guard, said that to escape the fire, Johnny and Salam had gone to the bathroom and taken shelter there. However, they could not be saved. They died inside, suffocating, due to lack of oxygen. Sharif was present when the Fire Service recovered their bodies. He claimed that there were no burn marks on either of their bodies; their deaths were primarily caused by suffocation from the smoke.

Zarin, a resident of the 14th floor, said she had been asleep and had no idea about the fire. After a neighbor from the adjacent flat called to inform her, she quickly gathered everyone and rushed down the stairs. Md. Mohiuddin, another resident of the same floor, said that upon hearing screams, he opened his door and saw nothing but smoke everywhere. He somehow managed to save himself and came downstairs.
Cause of the fire remains unknown

The building's residents are giving different accounts regarding the origin of the fire. According to Mohiuddin, the fire may have started from a gas stove on a lower floor. However, several residents of the affected flat said that the gas line there had been shut off for a long time; therefore, Johnny and Salam used to bring food from outside to eat. They suspect the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit. The fire spread quickly and intensely due to the wooden interiors in the rooms.
Meanwhile, Rafi Al Faruk, the Duty Officer at the Fire Service's central control room, said that exactly how the fire started is still unknown.
'If I had been there, I would probably have died too'

Md. Raju worked in the same chamber as those two unfortunate men. But, because of weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday), he was not there on the night of the incident. Hearing the news of the fire in the morning, he came to the flat and broke down in tears. Crying, Raju said: "If I had been in the building today, I would probably have died too. We worked together. I even spoke to them last Thursday. How can I ever forget them!"

Fire Service sources said the fire broke out in two flats on the 13th and 14th floors of the 14-story residential building. They received the news of the fire around 1:05 AM. Later, after nearly two hours of effort involving six units, the fire was brought under control around 3:08 AM.

Inspector Md. Faruk, the in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College (DMCH) Hospital Police Camp, confirmed the deaths of the two young men, citing physicians. He said the bodies have been kept in the DMCH morgue for autopsies. The concerned police station has also been informed.