21 shops gutted

At least 21 shops were gutted in a fire at Sahbajpur Bazar in Barlekha upazila of the district on Saturday. District Fire Service and Civil Defence sources said the fire originated from an electric short circuit at one of the shops around 2:00am and soon spread to 20 other adjacent shops. On information, a fire fighting unit from Barlekha Fire Station went to the spot and brought the blaze under control after two hours of frantic efforts, Barlekha Upazila Chairman Rafiqul Islam said. The affected shop owners claimed that the extent of losses caused by the fire could go up to Tk 50 lakh.