4 of a family burnt dead in Ctg fire

A couple and their two children were burnt to death in a fire reportedly originating from a cigarette butt at their house in Lohagara upazila of Chittagong early today.

Abdur Rahim, 45, his wife Nasima Akter, 33, and their two daughters Lucky, 12 and Reshmi, 8, were burnt alive, Mohammad Shahjahan, officer-in-charge of Lohagara Police Station, told The Daily Star.

The fire originated around 3:30am when the family members were asleep at their thatched house in Sipahipara village of Adunagar area in the upazila, the OC said.

The origin of fire was yet to be known, said OC Shahjahan adding that they were investigating into the matter.

The police official suspected that it might be originated from cigarette butt, reports our Chittagong correspondent.

Two other sons of the couple remained unharmed as they were not at home on that night, the OC added.

Sensing fire locals rushed to Rahim’s house and have found it fully gutted.

On their information, police visited the spot and recovered the bodies.

Contacted, Jasim Uddin, deputy director of Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defence, said he was not informed about the incident as there is no fire service station in Lohagara upazila.

Farid Uddin Khan, chairman of the upazila parishad, said he was informed about the incident in the morning. “Locals primarily assumed that the fire of Chula (clay oven) as the reason of origination of this deadly incident,” he said.