Devastating Bangabazar fire loss to be over Tk 1700 cr

Mahfuja Mukul, Mahfuz Emran & Zarif Mahmud: The traders of Bangabazar have claimed that the loss from the devastating fire won’t less than Tk 1500 crore. Moreover, about Tk 200 crore cash have been burnt with the goods as the shop owners buy apparels everyday from the suppliers by cash, so they don’t deposit the money in the bank. All together the loss from the fire would be about Tk 1700 crore.
It’s a tale of devastation being told by flickering embers, ash floating in the area and an expanse of utter nothingness, almost everything reduced to a powdery residue.
As the blaze in Bangabazar dies out, the destruction it has wreaked is evident.
At least 36 people have been injured in the devastating fire in Dhaka’s Bangabazar.
Around 3,500 shops have also been gutted in the devastating fire. Some 5,000 traders have been affected.
Thousand others who relied on Bangabazar for their income have seen their Eid hopes go up with the flames.
Mohammad Roni, who has been in the clothing business at Islamia Market near Bangabazar, could barely explain his loss.
The goods worth Tk25-30 lakh that he invested turned to ash in the fire.
“I have a loan of Tk12 lakh, I left Tk4 lakh in the store’s cash to order goods in the morning. Now, how will I pay the creditors?” he said.
“My shop wouldn’t have been burnt. Because of the negligence of the fire service, the blaze reached Islami Market.”
Although the fire has been tamed, thousands of lives have been amended just ahead of the lucrative Eid season.
The massive fire that broke out at the Bangabazar market in Dhaka on Tuesday morning was brought under control after more than six hours of frantic efforts.
The blaze was brought under control around 12:36pm, said Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters.
Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense, told the UNB that the fire doused after more than six hours but it will take another hour to extinguish the blaze.
The officer said these while talking to reporters on the premises of the fire service headquarters. Representatives of police and army were also present there at that time.
Wind and crowd made fire extinguishing work tougher, he said.
The market was declared risky on April 2, 2019 and a notice was issued in this regard, he said, adding a five member probe committee will be formed to find out the cause of the fire incident, he added.
The devastating fire broke out at the market around 6:10am and soon spread.
Forty-eight firefighting units were engaged in extinguishing the blaze. A team of army personnel also joined the efforts to douse the devastating fire, said ISPR.
Besides, a helicopter of the Bangladesh Air Force and a team of the Bangladesh Navy joined.
At least five people feel sick while trying to extinguish the fire.