Fire halts production at Chattogram urea fertiliser factory
Factory officials say production will resume after damage inspection and repairs
Chattogram Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL), a state-owned urea fertiliser company, suspended production when a fire erupted at the factory on Tuesday morning.
The fire broke out in the waste boiler of the primary reformer at the fertiliser factory around 9am, CUFL Deputy Manager (Security) Md Mahmudur Rahman told The Business Standard.
The fire is assumed to have originated from an overheating boiler in the factory, he said.
After half an hour of frantic efforts, two CUFL fire engines and two other fire vehicles of the Fire Service and Civil Defence and Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (Kafco), put out the fire.
"Production has been suspended temporarily. However, the factory will start rolling soon after damage inspection and repair work," Mahmudur Rahman said.
A committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire and ascertain the extent of damage.
CUFL, located on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River, currently produces an average of 1,400 tonnes of urea and 600 tonnes of ammonia per day.
Owned by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, the CUFL was built in 1987 in Chattogram's Anwara Upazila by the Japanese Toyo Engineering Corporation.
