Fire kills two in Shariatpur

Two youths were killed and at least 11 shops were gutted in a fire in Shariatpur yesterday.

The dead are Palash Bairagi, 25, and Bishwajit Sarker, 19, of Rajoir upazila in Madaripur.

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The fire broke out around 5:00am when the two were sleeping inside a sweetmeat shop at a market in Palong Uttar Bazar area, said ABM Momtaj Uddin, assistant director of Shariatpur Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The flames quickly spread to adjacent shops, he said.

On information, four fire units from Madaripur, Damudya, Gosairhat and Shariatpur rushed to the spot and doused the fire after a three-hour effort.

Md Mahbubur Rahman Sheikh, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Sadar upazila, said the bodies were sent to Shariatpur General Hospital morgue for autopsy.

In another incident, fire destroyed two factories in Manikganj Bazar yesterday noon.

Manikganj Fire Service and Civil Defence officials suspected the fire originated from a short circuit.

The fire broke out at a packaging factory and spread to an adjoining tin-roofed ice factory, they added.

The factory was closed when the incident happened as yesterday was a weekly holiday, said its owner Ranjit Kumar.

A thread warehouse and a cinema hall burning in Chaktai area of Chattorgram city last evening while fire-fighters try to douse the flames. The fire originated in the thread storehouse Bijoy & Brothers around 4:30pm and soon spread to nearby Purabi Cinema Hall. Eighteen fire-fighting units -- after two hours of efforts -- brought the fire under control around 6:20pm. The cause was not known immediately. Photo: Rajib Raihan

In Chattogram, a fire broke out around 4:30pm at a warehouse in Chaktai area.

On information, 18 units of fire fighters brought the fire under control after two hours, said Jasim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The cause of the fire could not be known immediately.