She saved others but could not save herself

It was a quiet winter morning in Uttara around 7:45am yesterday, with the household sleeping in on the weekend. When flames from a flat three storeys below began to spread, 14-year-old Rodela was the first to sense the danger.

Her split-second decision saved three lives but cost her own. She woke her father and screamed to alert the rest of the family. 

Thanks to her quick action, her father, Shahidul Islam, mother, and younger brother took shelter on the balcony of their fourth-floor flat and survived the toxic smoke. But while trying to reach the roof through the stairs with her uncle and cousin, Rodela did not make it out.

Six people from two families were killed in the fire that broke out on the first floor of a six-storey residential building on Road 18 of Sector 11 in Uttara. 

Rodela’s grieving father, centre, comforted by relatives yesterday.Photo: Star

The victims include Hares Mia, 52, his son Rahab, 17, and niece Rodela, 14, as well as Kazi Fazle Rabbi, 38, his wife Afroza Akter Suborna, 37, and their two-year-old son Kazi Faiyaz Rishan.

Standing in front of the burnt building yesterday, Shahidul was overwhelmed with grief. He and his brother Hares’s family lived in two flats on the same floor.

“They ran for the roof; we ran for the balcony,” he said, breaking down as he recalled the terrifying moments inside. 

“Rodela woke me up first, then she woke everyone else.” The family, desperate to escape, split into two groups, Shahidul said. 

“My brother Hares, his son Rahab, and my daughter Rodela opened the main door to try to reach the roof by stairs. But as soon as they opened it, thick black smoke rushed in. We couldn’t see anything. They got lost right there.”

Meanwhile, Shahidul, his wife, and their younger son took shelter on the balcony. “We screamed for help from the balcony. Firefighters rescued us about an hour later.”

During evacuation, Shahidul saw the lifeless bodies of his brother, nephew, and daughter lying in the living room.

Authorities said the victims were likely overwhelmed by heavy smoke after opening the door, causing them to lose consciousness and later die of asphyxiation.

The death of Rodela’s cousin Rahab added to the tragedy, as he was not supposed to be at the apartment that night. 

Rifat Naznin, a cousin of Hares’s wife, said there had been a family event at her father’s house in Mirpur-10 on Thursday. Hares’s two sons attended the event.

Afterward, Rahab was sent to the Uttara residence to drop off food for the family. “Rahab was only supposed to drop off the food. He didn’t return to his grandfather’s house and stayed the night at his own home. Coming to deliver that food ended up costing him his life,” Naznin said, holding back tears.

Hares’s wife, Rina, who was at her father’s home in Mirpur, remained unaware of the loss of her husband and son until the afternoon, as relatives struggled to break the news to her.

Funeral prayers for the deceased were held around 3:30pm yesterday.

Besides Rodela, Hares, and Rahab, the blaze also killed Kazi Fazle Rabbi, 38, his wife Afroza Akter Suborna, 37, and their two-year-old son Kazi Faiyaz Rishan.

Afroza’s cousin Abu Sayed said Rabbi’s village home is in Nanuya Dighirpar, Cumilla Sadar upazila. He worked at Eskayef Pharmaceuticals, while Afroza was a senior executive at Square Pharmaceuticals.

They had two sons, Faiyaz and Rafsan. Family members said Rafsan, who was staying at his grandmother’s house, was spared from the tragedy. 

Afroza’s sister, Afrin Jahan, said Afroza was declared dead upon arrival at the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, while the bodies of Rabbi and his son were taken to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital. 

Doctors confirmed all three died from asphyxiation, with no burn injuries found.