Fires break out at five locations in Gazipur within five hours

Fire Service says destruction is widespread across warehouses, shops and a tin-shed colony

Fires have broken out at five locations in Gazipur within five hours, causing extensive damage to property, according to the Fire Service.

Officials said the incidents occurred between 5am and 10am on Monday in Sreepur, Pubail Majukhan, Chandona Chowrasta of the city, Konabari’s Ambag neighbourhood, and Dighirpar in Kaliakair municipality.

Gazipur Fire Service Deputy Director Mohammad Mamun said crews contained the fires at all five sites, with no casualties reported.

Witnesses and the Fire Service said the first fire started around 5am at a cotton warehouse in Pubail Majukhan. Flames later spread to two adjoining warehouses.

Four fire units reached the site and took an hour to bring the situation under control, but the contents of all three warehouses were destroyed.

Another fire was reported at a jhut warehouse owned by Palash Mia in Konabari’s Ambag Purba Para.

Four units worked for more than an hour to put it out. The warehouse and its goods were burnt.

Around 9:30am, a tin-shed colony near the Chandona Palli Bidyut Dighirpar of Kaliakair municipality caught fire, burning 80 homes.

Residents said many people had left for work earlier in the morning. The fire began in one room and spread rapidly despite efforts from neighbours to stop it.

Four units from the Kaliakair station arrived at the scene and brought the flames under control after one and a half hours.

Earlier, around 2am on Sunday, a shop at Chandona Chowrasta caught fire. Local residents first tried to contain it before a fire unit arrived and extinguished the flames.

Later that night, around 10:00pm, a fire broke out at Munni Begum’s home in Bairagirchala, Sreepur. Firefighters quickly brought it under control.

Nurul Karim, acting officer of Maona Fire Service, said two units controlled one of the fires within five to seven minutes.

Sub-Inspector Matiur Rahman of Sreepur Model Police Station said preliminary losses at the site are around Tk 400,000 to Tk 500,000, with the cause yet to be determined.