Firefighters doused a blaze on the fifth floor of Sundarban Square Market in the capital's Gulistan, gutting several shops, with business owners estimating losses worth crores of Taka.
While speaking to the reporters, Assistant Director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Kazi Najmuzzaman said, "We declared Sundarban Square Market risky long ago. There is no fire safety plan or adequate firefighting equipment here. We issued notices repeatedly, but the market authorities had not taken any measures.
"The electrical wiring in this market was unsafe. Many cables were left exposed. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire started due to a short circuit. caused the fire to spread rapidly."
Business owners' panic and loss
The owner of a warehouse on the fifth floor Sohan said, "As usual, we opened our shop around 10:00am. After a while, a fire broke out in a warehouse on the fifth floor. My shop wasn't badly damaged, but those whose warehouses caught fire lost goods worth crores."
"During the fire, hundreds of shops in the market were open. As news of the fire spread, customers and shopkeepers began running in panic. Some even took risks to save their merchandise."
Rescue operation was disrupted
Fire service and joint forces instructed people to evacuate the building quickly, but many ignored the warnings and stayed inside, which hindered the efforts of the fire service.
Keraniganj Fire Service Senior Station Officer Anwar Hossain told Stream, "Many people were still present while our team was working upstairs, and the crowd below increased the risk. Despite the instructions of the joint force, many didn't comply, which disrupted the rescue efforts."
Anwar Hossain added that the source of the fire was identified after opening the shutters of two shops on the fifth floor, and the fire was brought under control from there. Those two shops were completely burned, while some others were affected by smoke and water.
The Fire Service reported that there were no fatalities or serious injuries.
"Considering the scale of the fire in such a large market, it's fortunate that no lives were lost," Anwar Hossain further said.
Comments