Fire guts 13 vehicles including police van in Sylhet garage blaze
According to police and fire service officials, the destroyed vehicles include an X Noah van, a microbus, three motorcycles, and the police pick-up van, among others, totalling 13 vehicles
A fire broke out at a car garage in Sylhet's Pathantula area late last night (16 November), destroying at least 13 vehicles, including a police pick-up van, and several surrounding businesses.
While the immediate cause remains unconfirmed, authorities are investigating whether it was an accident or an act of sabotage.
The blaze started around 1:30am near the Nawabi Mosque in Pathantula. Six units of the fire service, along with local residents, fought the fire for over an hour before finally bringing it under control around 2:45am. There were no reported casualties.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The fire is believed to have originated at a repair, denting, and painting shop named 'Dhaka Auto Engineering Works,' which was completely gutted.
According to police and fire service officials, the destroyed vehicles include an X Noah van, a microbus, three motorcycles, and the police pick-up van, among others, totalling 13 vehicles.
Several adjacent businesses were also damaged.
Mohammad Saiful Islam, additional deputy commissioner (media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, stated that a fire service investigation is underway to determine the cause.
"It could be a mechanical or electrical fault. They are also checking if there were any flammable materials inside," he said, noting that the exact amount of loss is yet to be determined.
Divisional Assistant Director of Sylhet Fire Service, Tofiqul Islam Bhuiyan, said that while the fire likely started in the garage, a short-circuit is suspected as the cause. An investigation is being conducted, including collecting eyewitness accounts, to establish the exact reason.
