DHAKA (Reuters) - A fire in a textile factory in Bangladesh killed six workers on Wednesday (Sept 20) before it was extinguished, police said, renewing fears about safety in the multi-billion dollar industry.

Bangladesh's garment sector, the world's second-biggest after China, drew worldwide scrutiny after more than 1,100 people were killed in the collapse of a factory complex in 2013 and 112 killed in a garment factory fire in 2012.

Police said Wednesday's fire started on the ground floor of a four-storey building storing chemicals and dyes in Munshiganj, 20km from Dhaka, the capital, and spread quickly.

"The mill was closed when the fire broke out but there were some workers in the factory and six bodies, including one woman worker, have been recovered," a police official, Alamgir Hossain, said by telephone.

Firefighters had put out the blaze but it was not immediately clear if more workers had been trapped, he added.

The roughly US$28 billion (S$37.63 billion) garment industry employs 4 million people and generates about 80 per cent of Bangladesh's export earnings.