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At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service said.

Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still not found.

The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.

Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.

Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed the media.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.

Crying family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.

The devastating event has once again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.