A devastating fire has ravaged at least five tourist establishments, including three resorts, at Sajek valley in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati in the early hours of Thursday.
Confirming the matter, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shariful Islam said a restaurant and a house were also gutted along with the resorts.
“The fire erupted around 3:30am at the ground floor of Abakash Resort and spread to other resorts, Meghchhut and Montana quickly,” said Nasir Uddin Pintu, owner of Chilekotha Restaurant in the area.
The fire burnt all the establishments to ashes, he added.
Shariful said the blaze could not be tamed immediately as there were no firefighting units nearby.
Firefighters from Dighinala of Khagrachhari rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control with the help of locals and law enforcers, he added.
The extent of losses in the fire could not be known yet, the UNO added.
The fire incident took place at a time when the country is observing the 24th anniversary of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord.
The accord was signed on December 2 in 1997 between the government and the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) during the first tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ending bloody conflicts in three hill districts.
