Bangladesh (Commonwealth) _A massive fire damaged hundreds of shops at a market in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, but there were no injuries as the blaze rushed across the neighborhood early Thursday, before stores opened.
Officials said it took six hours for military personnel and firefighters to put out the fire, which spread swiftly in the Mohammadpur market due to the significant volume of flammable products like cooking oil and plastics.
There were no casualties in the incident, which was likely caused by an electric short circuit, according to Shahjahan Sikder, a fire department officer.
“My family was reliant on this shop; what should I do now?” “Everything was burned to ashes,” a merchant told local news outlets.
Fires are common in densely populated Dhaka, which has seen a recent building boom, often without adequate safety measures. Faulty gas cylinders, air conditioners, and electrical equipment can cause fires and explosions. A fire at a Dhaka shopping complex in April injured many firefighters and destroyed 5,000 shops.
The fire started at 3:43 a.m. and swiftly devoured the entire row of stores, which primarily offer veggies, spices, groceries, and clothing. Furthermore, the blaze spread swiftly due to a lack of fire protection equipment, stores being crammed together and filled with extremely flammable products, and merchants being powerless to stop it.
By 4:00 a.m., when several traders arrived at the market after waking up to frantic calls, the wildfire had grown into an unstoppable wall of flames engulfing everything in its path. Panicked traders stood helpless as their aspirations and dreams were destroyed.
We used to be very busy selling things to clients every day at this time. However, fate has not provided that opportunity today. Delowar Hossain, a vegetable merchant, sobbing this morning as he arrived at 4:00 a.m. to find his shop on fire.
Furthermore, many had stocked up on new items in preparation for the hectic weekend trade tomorrow. I rushed here after receiving a call, but I was unable to enter the market because the fire was too intense. My shop and belongings were entirely destroyed in minutes, said a sobbing Manir Hossain, owner of Manir Shoes.
Abu Saeed, the owner of a clothing store, claimed that his whole inventory was destroyed. The crowded environment aided the fire’s quick spread. There was no equipment available to put out the fire inside or surrounding the stores. No water bodies close either, Saeed added.
Kader Hossain, the owner of a spice shop, stated, “Around 5:00 a.m., everything in my shop was reduced to ashes.” The fire trucks couldn’t get close to my shop because of the narrow market entrance.
According to Abu Saeed, “I packed all the clothes last night to sell this morning.” When I arrived in the morning, I discovered that everything had burned down. Due to a large crowd of observers, firefighters had to battle to put the fire at Mohammad Krishi Market under control, said Director of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) Lt Col Md Tajul Islam today.
“It took time to douse the flame due to overcrowding, and police and BGB faced difficulties in controlling the crowd of onlookers,” he told reporters. In response to a question, he stated that the fire may have started in a grocery store and that an inquiry will be conducted to determine the cause.
Tajul stated that two people received minor injuries, but no fatalities were reported. The officer also claimed there was insufficient water supply at the market and no major firefighting equipment.
Furthermore, there is no market safety plan. The relevant authorities sent notices multiple times, and public awareness campaigns were carried out at various times, but there was no response from the market authority, according to Tajul.
