A fire broke out in the gas cascade room of a CNG filling station beside the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway in Cumilla’s Sadar Dakshin area on Sunday night (4 October). Two units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence brought the blaze under control after nearly an hour of efforts.
The incident occurred at Mallika CNG Filling Station, where the cascade room contained a total of 24 gas cylinders. Fire Service personnel and volunteers remained involved after the flames were brought under control to prevent the situation from escalating.
Sharif Ahmed Kabir, station officer of Sadar Dakshin Fire Service and Civil Defence, said two units were sent to the station after receiving information about the fire. Firefighters began tackling the blaze shortly after arriving and managed to bring it under control after about an hour.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been established. Fire Service officials said their preliminary assessment suggested that a leak in a safety device connected to the gas reservoir may have caused the control panel to catch fire. Excessive heat could then have contributed to electrical sparking, allowing the flames to spread rapidly inside the cascade room.
Officials stressed that the precise cause would only be confirmed after an investigation.
The fire damaged an estimated eight to 10 of the 24 cylinders kept inside the cascade room. Each cylinder has an approximate market value of Tk 50,000 to Tk 60,000, putting the preliminary estimated loss at around Tk 500,000 to Tk 600,000.
The presence of compressed gas cylinders made the incident particularly sensitive. Although the flames were brought under control, several cylinders continued to pose a risk because their control wheels had melted under the intense heat. Gas continued to leak from the reservoirs even after firefighting operations had extinguished the visible flames.
According to the station officer, the leaking gas spread around the area, creating the possibility of another fire or a more serious accident. Fire Service personnel therefore continued working alongside volunteers to keep the situation under control.
As a precaution, warnings were issued over a hand-held loudspeaker, and people in the surrounding area were instructed to move to a safe distance. The response was aimed at reducing the risk posed by the leaking gas and preventing people from approaching the affected area.
The rapid response by the Fire Service also helped protect the remaining cylinders and other parts of the filling station from potentially more extensive damage. A fire involving a gas storage area can quickly become dangerous if flames reach additional cylinders or if leaking gas accumulates near a possible ignition source.
The incident took place at a filling station located beside a major highway, adding to the need for swift control of the situation. While no details of any casualties were reported in the information available, officials are continuing to assess the circumstances surrounding the fire.
The Fire Service said the investigation will determine what caused the initial leak, how the control panel caught fire and the precise extent of the damage. Until those findings are available, the suspected safety-device leak remains only a preliminary explanation rather than a confirmed cause.
