Mongla: A fire broke out at a market in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat on Thursday afternoon, leading to the destruction of at least five shops, a cooperative office, and a dwelling house, with estimated losses of around Tk 50 lakh. The blaze erupted around 4:00 pm at Sarkar Market in Burirdanga union.
According to United News of Bangladesh, two units of Mongla EPZ Fire Service arrived promptly at the scene and managed to control the fire after about an hour of efforts. The fire inflicted damage on several establishments, including a pharmacy, an electronics shop, grocery stores, a cooperative society office, and a residential house.
Affected traders expressed their devastation, citing significant financial losses. Supad Biswas, the General Secretary of Sarkar Market Committee, reported that five to seven shops were completely gutted by the flames. He noted that the cooperative society in the market had around Tk 15-16 lakh in cash, and the shop where the money was kept was also destroyed. The total losses are estimated to range between Tk 50 lakh and Tk 60 lakh, raising concerns among traders about recovery from the damage.
Mongla EPZ Fire Service Senior Station Officer Md Emran Hossain confirmed that the fire was brought under control after an hour-long effort by two firefighting units. He mentioned that five shops were completely destroyed, and the fire is initially believed to have originated from an electrical short circuit.