A fire broke out in a high-rise building in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Sunday night and officials said scores of people were quickly evacuated and no one was hurt.

On receiving information about the incident, fire fighters rushed to the spot and doused the blaze which lasted for about two and a half hour.

A fireman who refused to be named said black smoke rose from the 15-story Alauddin Tower in Dhaka's Uttara area and the firefighters eventually brought it under control.

The building is partly residential and partly occupied by shops and businesses, he said.

The fireman said they are striving to rescue some people feared to have been trapped inside the burning upper floors of the tower. Army troops have been called in to support the fire brigade rescuers.

The cause of the fire could not be known immediately.

Fire accident is not a rare scene in the South Asian country. At least 119 people died in a devastating home fire in a very congested area of Dhaka's old part in June 2010.