Three people were killed and five others suffered burns in a fire that broke out at the garage located on the ground floor of a five-storey building at Dilu Road in city’s Moghbazar area early Friday.

Two of the deceased were identified as Abdul Quader, 40, Rushdi, 4, son of Shahidul Islam, a resident of the building.

Eight firefighting units extinguished the blaze around 5:30am.

Foysalur Rahman said firefighters rescued 17 people and found three others dead.

Among those rescued, five people, including Rushdi’s parents Shahidul, 40 and Jannatul Ferdous, were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Shahidul suffered 45 percent burns and Jannatul 95 percent, said sources at the burn unit of DMCH.

Garments accessories are housed on the first and second floors while the garage is the only exit and entry point of the building.

The cause of the fire is still unclear.

A large number of buildings in Bangladesh lack fire safety. Many do not have emergency exits, which cause loss of lives during events of fire.