Dhaka, May 5 -- A fire that raged through the basement of a building at Bailey Road in the capital was brought under control after one hour of efforts on Monday night.

"Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties," said Shahjahan Shikder, a deputy assistant director at the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

He said the firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control around 7:47pm, according to a UNB report.

Shikder said the fire broke out in the basement around 6:47 pm and spread soon.

According to information, three firefighting units initially rushed to the spot, and later six more units joined the fleet, he said, adding that 18 people were rescued from the building, with nine women, seven men and two children.

However, it ...