AKIPRESS.COM - A fast-moving fire has swept through a historic district of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, killing at least 69, BBC reports.

The blaze broke out Wednesday evening in a multi-storey residential building with one floor reportedly used to store flammable chemicals.

According to local media, the fire quickly spread to nearby buildings.

Authorities told the BBC on Thursday morning that the fire had been brought under control.

The fire might have originated from a gas cylinder before quickly spreading through the building, the country's fire service chief Ali Ahmed told AFP.

Local news site BDNews24 added that the ground floor of the building housed shops, with the first floor used to store plastics, cosmetics and perfumes.

Several families lived on the other floors of the building.