Fire destroys betel leaves on 100 bighas in 2 dists

A devastating fire destroys betel leaves on around 90 bighas of land at Patuakandi village in Bheramara upazila of Kushtia on Friday. Photo shows fire-damaged betel plants in a garden at the village. Photo: Star

Betel leaves on around 100 bighas of land were destroyed by two incidents of fire in Kushtia and Chuadanga district on Friday, causing damage worth around Tk 1.5 crore.
In Kushtia, betel leaves on 90 bighas of land were gutted in a fire at Patuakandi village in in Bheramara upazila at around 4:00pm.
Locals said the fire originated from the garden of one Akhter of the village and soon engulfed the adjacent gardens. The affected farmers estimated the loss caused by the fire at around Tk 1crore.
Mohammad Rajibul Islam of Bheramara Fire Service Station told this correspondent that the fire might have originated from the butt of a cigarette. But locals said the fire might have originated from the kitchen of one Fahim Ahmed of the village and then spread to the nearby garden of Akhter.
Being informed, fire fighting units from Bheramara and Daulatpur upazilas rushed to the village and extinguished the blaze.
Syed Belal Hossain, deputy commissioner (DC) of Kushtia, and Bheramara Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Azad Zahan visited the spot yesterday morning. The deputy commissioner asked the local administration to investigate the matter.
In Chuadanga, betel leaves on around 10 bighas of land owned by one Ohidul Islam of Hatyiadanga village in Damurhuda upazila were destroyed by a fire on the day.
The cause of the fire could not be known as of 4:00pm yesterday. Ohidul told the correspondent that betel leaves worth around Tk 40 lakh were damaged by the fire.