31 vehicles torched, mostly at night, during 3-day blockade: Fire Service

The Fire Service & Civil Defence received a total of 34 reports of arson attacks, torching 31 vehicles during the BNP-announced three-day blockade starting from 6am on Tuesday (31 October).

Among the 19 arson incidents reported in the Dhaka division, 12 attacks took place within Dhaka city, and the remaining seven were reported in Gazipur, Kaliakair, Savar, and Narayanganj.

Apart from Dhaka, eight arson incidents occurred in the Chattogram Division, particularly in Sitakund, Karnaphuli, Rangunia, Feni, Chandpur, and the Bayezid area.

Additionally, four fire incidents were reported in the Rajshahi Division, followed by one each in the Rangpur, Barishal, and Mymensingh divisions.

Of the vehicles, 18 buses, four covered vans, five trucks, one car, three motorcycles, two commercial product showrooms, and one police box were burnt in these incidents.

Upon analysing the statistics, it was found that more fire incidents occurred at night than during the day. Out of a total of 34 fire incidents in these three days, 19 fires occurred between 6pm and 5am, while the remaining 15 occurred at other times of the day.

The review also found that early morning fires were more common than fires during the daytime. Of the 15 fire incidents during the day, nine occurred between 6 am and 11 am.

On the other hand, from 28 October to 2 November (5 days), a total of 82 fire incidents were reported by the fire service.