Dhaka, March 1 -- A wake-up call rings for mending umpteen other unsafe buildings as Thursday night's Bailey-road house blaze left 46 dead and 13 others seriously injured and struggling for life at hospitals.

Firefighters and eyewitnesses said lack of spacious staircase and haphazard gas cylinders kept for restaurants housed in the building made dousing the fire difficult and caused such high casualties of people from different walks of life.

The seven-storey building, fondly named Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall, in the high-society area housed eight restaurants, including popular Kacchi Bhai. A number of clothing stores that include popular ILLIYEEN were also in the building where fire broke out at around 10pm Thursday and raged unti...