Fire devastates Sitakunda ship-breaking goods market, losses estimated at Tk1.5cr
Massive fire at a plastic factory in Chattogram city was doused after 11 hours
A devastating fire swept through a market of ship-breaking goods in the Bhatiari union of Chattogram's Sitakunda yesterday night (15 August), destroying at least five shops and causing an estimated loss of Tk1.5 crore.
According to traders, the fire caused losses of Tk70 lakh at two marine equipment shops, Tk50 lakh worth of safety equipment at another shop and an office, and Tk27 lakh worth of air-conditioner compressors at one shop.
The blaze also damaged the wall of a Meghna Bank branch adjacent to the market.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The fire, which originated from an electrical short circuit, broke out around 9pm at a shop in the market.
Confirming the incident today (16 August), Chattogram Fire Service Deputy Director Jasim Uddin told The Business Standard, "The shops contained flammable materials, which made it difficult to control the fire initially. Later, three firefighting units managed to douse it by 11:15pm."
He added that the actual extent of damages will be confirmed after an investigation report.
Meanwhile, a series of explosions from fire extinguisher cylinders stored inside the shops triggered panic in the neighbourhood and halted traffic on the busy Dhaka–Chattogram highway for nearly two and half hours, triggering a 30-kilometre tailback.
"Traffic returned to normal around 11:30pm," Jasim Uddin said.
Locals said the market is owned by Jamaat-e-Islami's Sitakunda Upazila Assistant Secretary Kutub Uddin Shibli.
Fire at plastic factory in Ctg doused after 11 hours
A devastating fire that broke out at a plastic factory in Chattogram city's Bakolia Access Road early today was doused after nearly 11 hours.
Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence Assistant Director Anwar Hossain said, "The fire was doused at 1pm today."
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the blaze started around 2:10am inside the factory and within minutes engulfed a jhut warehouse, a plastic storage facility, and adjacent homes.
Immediately after the blaze had spread, 9 firefighting units from different city stations rushed to the scene and doused the fire after nearly 11 hours.
Deputy Director Jasim Uddin said no casualties have been reported so far. "The full extent of the damage is yet to be determined. A probe committee has already been formed to identify the cause of the fire and assess the losses."
"The shortage of nearby water sources hampered our work. All units were trying, but the fire was too intense due to the large volume of flammable materials stored inside the warehouses," he added.
"Additionally, several nearby houses were also burned down, forcing families to escape with only their lives while losing all their belongings," Jasim said.
