Fire destroys 17 businesses in Chandpur

At least 17 businesses have been burnt down in a fire that broke out at Munshirhat Bazar in Chandpur's Matlab South Upazila.

The blaze began around 7:15am on Friday in the Baburhat-Matlab-Pennai Road area, according to Syed Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of the Chandpur Fire Service and Civil Defence North Station.

No casualties have been reported in the incident.

Local residents Tajul Islam and Md Jubayer said the fire originated from a hardware store and spread to nearby shops within moments.

Traders affected by the fire estimate their losses to be around Tk 80-100 million.

Shops that suffered the most damage include Nobi’s hardware store, Sharif’s paint shop, Anil’s pharmacy, Ganesh’s gold shop, Mukhtar Hossain’s hardware store, Alam’s grocery, Faruk’s tin shop, Rahim’s pharmacy, and Cumilla Mistanna Bhandar. Several other shops were partially damaged.

“Upon receiving the report, four firefighting units from Matlab South and Chandpur Sadar rushed to the spot. It took nearly an hour to bring the fire under control. By that time, around 17 shops had been burnt,” Fire Service official Morshed said.

“The cause of the fire could not be determined immediately. The extent of damage will be known after an investigation,” he added.