Three shops were burnt out in a fire in Saltha, Faridpur. The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon, 18 October, at Baradia bazar in Gatti union of the upazila.
According to local sources, the fire started while the shops were closed. It is initially believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Locals first saw black smoke coming from inside Ukil Sheikh’s shop, and news of the fire was then announced over the bazar mosque’s loudspeaker.
Local people tried to put out the fire. A fire service unit then arrived and brought it under control after about two hours, but by then the goods in the three shops had burnt.
The damaged businesses were a fertiliser and pesticide shop, a hardware shop and a rice mill. With their goods burnt, the traders face heavy financial losses.
The affected traders said the fire caused at least Tk 4 million (40 lakh) in damage. The fire service’s initial estimate puts the loss at about Tk 2 million (20 lakh).
Md Abdul Jalil, sub-officer at Saltha fire station, said firefighters went to the scene and brought the fire under control after being alerted by local people and the national emergency service 999. “The damage is initially estimated at about Tk 2 million, but goods worth about Tk 5 million (50 lakh) were saved from the fire,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report