At least 20 business structures were gutted in a devastating fire that broke out in a market in Sarankhola upazila of Bagerhat on Thursday.
The affected shop owners claimed that valuables worth Tk 2 crore were damaged in the fire.
The fire-hit shops included grocery, pharmacies, electronics and plastic goods.
Owners and Fire Services said the fire erupted in one of the shops of Rayenda Panch Rasta Intersection in the upazila around 10:30pm.
Moniruzzaman Babul, general secretary of Rayenda Bazar Committee, blaming the fire service's negligence for failing to control the fire promptly claimed that the fire caused a loss of some Tk 2 crore
He urged the government to compensate the affected shopkeepers for survival.
Denying the allegation, Sarankhola Fire Service and Civil Defence’s Station Officer Md Aftab E Alam said that the fire was intense and took an hour to bring under control.
He assured that there was no longer any risk of the fire spreading.
However, he could not immediately provide the exact amount of the damage caused by the fire.
The blaze was brought under control by the efforts of the fire service and local residents, with the assistance of heavy rain that started around 11:30pm.
