Pakistan High Commissioner in ICU After Dhaka Residence Fire
A fire broke out at the official residence of Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Baridhara, Dhaka, early Thursday, August 6. High Commissioner Imran Haider and his wife, Naima Imran, fell ill after being exposed to heavy smoke and were taken to Continental Hospital in Gulshan. While Naima Imran was admitted to a cabin, Imran Haider was placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after his condition deteriorated.
The Fire Service received a report of the incident at 4:56 a.m. Two units from Baridhara Fire Station were dispatched to the residence, located in the Gulshan diplomatic zone, said Anwarul Islam Dolon, an official of the Fire Service Headquarters’ Media Cell. Firefighters found no significant blaze inside the room when they arrived, but it was filled with smoke. They extinguished the fire using buckets and mugs of water and later deployed smoke-extraction equipment to clear the residence.
Regarding the cause, Dolon said preliminary findings suggested that an electrical fault in a television set may have triggered the fire. Hospital authorities said the fire itself was not extensive, but the dense smoke caused the High Commissioner and his wife to fall ill. They were taken to the hospital at around 9:00 a.m. Naima Imran remains in a cabin, while Imran Haider is being treated in the ICU because of the seriousness of his condition.
