13 shops gutted in Bandarban fire

Thirteen shops were completely gutted in a devastating fire that broke out at Balipara Market in Thanchi Upazila of Bandarban early Wednesday.

The fire broke out around 4am. The market watchman spotted the flames and alerted the Fire Service. Upon receiving the news, local residents, Fire Service personnel, police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members rushed to the scene.

After nearly an hour of efforts, the fire was brought under control.
All the goods in the 13 shops were destroyed, causing extensive damage.

Balipara Union Parishad Chairman Jiaong Marma said the estimated loss, including the shopkeepers’ merchandise, was around Tk 1.5 crore.

He said a list of the affected shopkeepers would be submitted to the upazila administration, while the Union Parishad was preparing to provide relief assistance to them as far as possible.

The affected shopkeepers said none of the owners had been present at their shops at night. By the time they reached the market after receiving news of the fire, everything had already been destroyed.

They suspected that the fire might have originated from a refrigerator that had been left running or a malfunctioning gas stove in one of the shops.

Thanchi Fire Service Station Master Rahidul Islam Mridha said they initially suspected that an electrical short circuit had caused the fire.