Published : 17 Apr 2023, 09:39 PM
Updated : 17 Apr 2023, 09:39 PM
Panic has spread among shoppers at Noor Mansion, next to Gausia Market, in Dhaka briefly over fears of fire from an electric short-circuit at an eatery.
The short-circuit occurred at a fast food shop near the main gate of Noor Mansion around 7:30 pm on Monday amid the Eid-ul-Fitr shopping season.
No fire was reported, but the immediate arrival of firefighters with fire engines caused panic in the area, said Shafiqul Goni Sabu, chief of New Market Police Station. “The situation normalised after a while.”
Rafiqul Islam, president of Gausia Market Traders Association, said police from a nearby outpost called the fire service via the 999 national helpline after the incident and four units of the firefighters arrived immediately.
“The firefighters left as the situation normalised.”
The Fire Service and Civil Defence on Sunday identified 58 marketplaces in Dhaka with significant fire hazards, flagging nine of them to be at ‘high risk’ of such disasters.
Fourteen of these locations were at ‘moderate risk’ of a fire while the 35 others were simply at risk. Gausis Market was among the high-risk marketplaces.
The fire service published the list after devastating blazes burnt shops in the Bangabazar market, New Super Market and some other marketplaces in the past few weeks amid scorching heat.
Even on Monday morning, traders extinguished a fire that started from a power line at the Baitul Mukarram jewellery market.
On orders from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the law enforcers are investigating whether the recent market fires are accidents or acts of sabotage.
The fire service also called for investigation into possible arson attacks. It said the traders of these markets ignored repeated notices to heighten fire safety over years.
