W N B: 23-storey building were injured in the capital's .BANGLADESH

Smoke engulfs 23-storey Faruk Rupayan Tower at Banani in the capital yesterday after a car catches fire at its basement. Photo: DALTON ZAHIR . visit for total photo http://picasaweb.google.com/daltonzahir/FireInTheCity

At least 20 of the panic stricken occupants of a 23-storey building were injured in the capital's Banani area yesterday after a minivan parked in the underground parking lot caught fire engulfing the building with dense smoke.Several hundred people were inside the building when the fire broke out trapping them amid the dense smoke. The injured were hurt trying to leap off to adjacent buildings. The entire area around Kamal Ataturk Avenue remained closed to traffic for over two hours while firefighters were dousing the blaze which had originated from a leak in the CNG line of the minivan which was burnt to ashes.Witnesses said the fire originated from the minivan which was parked in the underground parking lot of FR Tower (Faruk Rupayan Tower) around 3:45pm,

creating dense smoke which rose up to the 18th floor seeping onto them.According to the witnesses, after the fire broke out about 200 people were able to rush out of the building immediately while several hundred others went to the roof of the building, many of whom leapt off to the adjacent 22-storey Awal Centre.Meanwhile, at least 30 others jumped off to the rooftop of another adjacent three-storey building.Samsuzzoha, deputy assistant director (DAD) of Fire Service and Civil Defence told The Daily Star, "The CNG line of the minivan was leaking and when the driver tried to start the vehicle, it caught fire creating smoke and panic."The fire department DAD also said they had to break down glass facades and doors on different floors to let the smoke out.Fire department sources said at least 10 of their units fought for more than an hour to put the fire out. news: DAILY STAR