Fire at old Dhaka shop amid New Year celebrations

A fire incident was reported at a shop in Old Dhaka's Nazira Bazar shortly after midnight amidst the city's New Year celebrations. 

The fire broke out around 00:33am on Monday (1 January) at a shop adjacent to the renowned Beauty Lacchi located in the area.

Three units of firefighters rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control in less than 10 minutes around 00:42am, said Shahidul Islam Sumon, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence's Siddiquebazar unit.

According to the official, it is suspected that the fire might have been caused by a sky lantern landing in the vicinity.

Earlier, the Fire Service and Civil Defense issued a statement advising against the use of fireworks and sky lanterns on New Year's Eve (31 December) to prevent potential accidents.

To raise awareness, the Fire Service also shared leaflets and video clips on their official Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

According to the Fire Service, in the year 2022, nearly 100 incidents of fire occurred due to the lighting of fireworks and flying lanterns on New Year's Eve, resulting in an estimated loss of Tk19.75 lakh. 

In 2021, incidents involving fireworks and sky lanterns led to approximately Tk4.5 lakh in damages from 16 different fire incidents, and an infant named Mahmudul Hasan lost his life due to the loud sound of firecrackers. 

In 2020, around Tk. 1.43 crore was lost in 50 fire incidents. In 2019, approximately Tk1.47 lakh was lost in 72 incidents, and in 2018, Tk56.6 lakh was lost in 42 fire incidents. 

The Fire Service actively participated in preventing further damages from these incidents, recovering assets worth Tk3.69 crore.