A minor boy was burned to death in a fire which broke out at a colony in Kaliakoir upazila on Wednesday morning.
The deceased is Ismail, a one-year-old son of Badal Mia of Gaibandha district.
The fire broke out at the colony of one Rezaul Karim around 7:30 am and spread soon, said Asad Saifullah, assistant sub-inspector of Kaliakoir Police Station.
On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze after two hours of frantic efforts.
Later, the fire service men recovered the charred body of the child from his house which was put under lock and key from outside.
Eighteen houses were gutted in the fire.
Lokman Hossain, chairman of Mouchak Union Parishad, said the local administration has provided 2,000 taka to the affected families each and Tk 20,000 to the family of Ismail.
However, it is still not clear what caused the fire. Police said the fire might have originated from a gas cylinder.
Earlier, four people were killed in a fire at a colony in the area last month.
