At least 217 shops burnt down in the devastating fire that broke out at the Mohammadpur Krishi Market in Dhaka early Thursday causing losses for hundreds of traders.
Thursday was the weekly holiday for the market and all traders went to their respective homes closing their shops late Wednesday night. After hearing the news early morning they thronged the spot.
The massive fire broke out around 3:43am and spread soon. Seventeen firefighting units worked to fully douse the blaze. It was brought under control around 9:25am. However, smoke billowing from the site made it difficult for the firemen to work.
Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Selim Raza said out of the total allocated 317 shops, 217 were damaged by the fire. They were preparing a list of affected shop owners to provide some assistance.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Anisur Rahman, said a list of affected traders at the market will be prepared and assistance will be provided following the list from the government. A committee will be formed to look into the fire incident, he said.
Director of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) Lt Col Md Tajul Islam told reporters that firefighters had to struggle quite a lot to bring the fire under control due to the huge crowd in front of Krishi Market.
“It took time to douse the flame due to overcrowding and the police and BGB have faced difficulties in controlling the crowd of onlookers,” he said.
In response to a question, the director said the fire might have originated from a grocery shop and an investigation will be carried out to identify the reason behind the fire. Two people were slightly injured but no casualty was reported.
He also claimed that there is no adequate water supply at the market and no primary fire-controlling equipment. Besides, there is no safety plan at the market.
The authorities concerned have issued notices several times, and public awareness programmes were carried out at different times but there was no response from the market authorities, added Tajul.
Talking about the surroundings of the market, Tajul said the situation was much like the Bangabazar fire as the small alleys were similarly blocked by piles of goods, and collapsible gates were closed which created a problem for the firefighters.
The night guards of the market were not present during the fire, forcing the firefighters to break the collapsible gates. “When we reached the spot, we saw that fire engulfed almost three-quarters of the market and the firefighting units worked hard to contain it,” he said.
A Senior Station Officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters said that WASA, Bangladesh Air Force, Army, Navy, BGB, and police are all assisting the fire service men.
Meanwhile, several hundred traders at the market are lamenting losing goods worth several crores of taka in the massive fire. After learning about the fire, the traders started thronging the market — only to see their shops and goods burned.
Saiful Islam Sharif, a trader in the market told UNB, “I have two shops in the market. Of these, one is rented while the other is my own. I reached the spot early this morning but I couldn't do anything. My shops have just turned into ashes. There were clothes worth Tk one crore in my shops.”
Sharif also said he left Tk 6 lakh in the cash box of the shop, and that too is now gone.
Junaid Sheikh, an employee of Bikrampur Crockeries said after receiving the shop owner's call, he ran to the market and tried to get out the goods by breaking the locks or shutters like many other shopkeepers.
“But we failed due to the smoke. Everything in my employer's two shops in block C and the eight warehouses on the second floor was burnt in the fire,” he said, adding that the burnt products included kitchen appliances such as ovens, rice cookers, stoves and blenders.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Shop Owners Association President Helal Uddin expressed doubts that the fire could be an act of sabotage. After visiting the spot he said, most of the markets that have caught fire in the capital after the last Ramadan are city corporation markets.
The markets which have been decided to be demolished by the City Corporation for reconstruction are being burnt, he alleged.
"We want market buildings. But that does not mean that old markets will be burnt down to remove traders and build modern ones. There is no justification for it,” media outlets quoted him.
A massive fire ripped through the capital's Bangabazar Shopping Complex on April 4 this year burning down over 3,000 shops and ruining the livelihood of several thousand traders, weeks before Eid-ul-Fitr.
