78 shops, houses gutted in Bandarban fire

Around 78 shops and houses in Rowangchhari upazila of Bandarban were burnt to ashes in a devastating fire that broke out early today.

"A total of 73 shops and five houses -- made of wood and bamboo -- were gutted in the fire," said Chaw Hai Mong Marma, chairman of the upazila.

Two locals were injured when they tried to douse the blaze, he added.

The fire originated from a short circuit at the poultry shop of one Md Delwar Hossain in Rowangchhari Bazar area around 12:20am, and soon spread to adjacent shops and houses, said Md Mehedi Hasan, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).

Two firefighting units from Rowangchhari upazila and Bandarban Sadar upazila doused the fire around 3:30am, after three hours of frantic effort, said Mong Swe Nu Marma, station officer of Rowangchhari Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Talking to The Daily Star, Mau Sang Marma, a resident of the area, lamented that their house was completely destroyed in the fire.

"We could not save anything," he said.

Nandan Barua, a businessman in the area, said his house and three shops were gutted in the fire, leaving him penniless.

"I had invested Tk 40 lakh in my three shops which were completely damaged. Now I have nothing left," Nandan said.

"The damage caused by the blaze was worth around Tk 3 crore," the UNO said.

The shops burnt to ashes included those of grocery, clothing, pharmacy, hardware and food, UNO Mehedi Hasan added.