Fire guts 8 shops in Kishoreganj; traders claim losses of over Tk 2 crore

At least eight shops were reduced to ashes in a fire in Hossainpur upazila of Kishoreganj early today, with business owners estimating losses of over Tk 2 crore.
The fire broke out around 4:30am in the Mishtipatty area of Hossainpur Pourashava bazar, said fire service and local sources.
Most shop owners were sleeping at the time. The flames spread quickly, gutting a pharmacy, two hardware stores, two hotels, a grocery shop, a shoe store, and a liquor store, sources say.
Four units of the fire service responded to the blaze, which took about two and a half hours to bring under control. By then, all goods were burned, said Shamsul Haque, substation officer of Hossainpur Fire Service.
Among those affected, Kofil Mia said his hardware shop had goods worth over Tk 60 lakh, along with Tk 2.5 lakh in cash, while Jewel Mia claimed his hardware store lost goods worth over Tk 50 lakh, with another Tk 2 lakh in cash. Alamin said his drug store held about Tk 50 lakh worth of inventory.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Anindya Mondal, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Farid Al Sohan, and the Hossainpur Pourashava administrator visited the site this morning.
The fire service said the cause of the fire is yet to be determined and an investigation is underway.