The fire service had declared the gutted Bangabazar apparel market 'risky' on 1 April 2019, said Brig Gen Md Main Uddin, director general (DG) of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence.

"We even hung a warning banner following the declaration," he said while briefing media at the fire service headquarters in Bangabazar at around 1:20pm on Tuesday.

He said the market authority was served with official notice at least ten times.

The banner, hung by the fire service on the market, advised everyone to exercise caution as the building was deemed highly risky in terms of fire safety.

The Fire Service director general identified three reasons behind the delay in controlling the blaze.

Showing a video recorded on his mobile phone, the DG said firefighters struggled to work there amidst a huge crowd around the area.

"It was so crowded that firefighters were finding it difficult to follow their drill," he said.

Main Uddin attributed the lack of water and the direction of the wind as the second and third reasons.

When asked about the attack in the fire service headquarters, he said the incident will be investigated and further action will be taken accordingly.

"All the officers and employees of the Fire Service and Civil Defence work their hearts out for people. Last year, we lost 13 firefighters while on duty and 29 were injured," he lamented saying "I don't understand why or who would attack the fire service.

The fire service chief further added that eight firefighters were hurt in the fire incident today among whom two critically injured firemen are undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Burn Institute.

According to media reports, an agitated mob attacked the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters around 9:30am. They threw brickbats and attacked the control room leaving at least four fire service personnel injured. Later, law enforcers brought the situation under control and removed the mob from the office.

The devastating fire that started at Bangabazar around 6am was brought under control after six hours of strenuous efforts.

Although no casualties have been reported so far, at least 3,500 shops in Bangabazar market were reportedly gutted in the massive fire.