Fire destroys over 30 shops, factory in Noakhali

Five firefighting units tamed the flames after a three-hour effort

A fire has torn through more than 30 shops and a factory in Noakhali's Senbagh Upazila.

It took the Fire Service about three hours to tame the fire at Sebarhat Bazar.

The fire broke out in the wee hours of Sunday at the plywood factory of Mohib Ullah in the market, according to Md Farid Ahmed, assistant director of the Noakhali Fire Service.

Citing witnesses, he said the fire started around 12:15am with a loud explosion. It quickly engulfed the entire plywood factory and spread to nearly 30 surrounding shops, as well as financial institutions such as banks and insurance offices.

“Upon receiving the news, five Fire Service units from Noakhali and Feni rushed to the scene and worked to douse the flames. Members of the Army and police, along with locals, also joined the efforts to contain the fire," Farid said.

The Fire Service eventually took control of the situation around 3am.

Authorities could not immediately shed light on the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.

However, traders at the market, one of the main commercial hubs in the Upazila, estimated their losses to be in the hundreds of millions of taka.