At least 12 business establishments were burnt to ashes in separate fire incidents in Sherpur and Rangamati districts on Monday.
At least five business establishments were burnt to ashes in a fire that broke out at Jhagrachar Bazar in Sribardi upazila of Sherpur early Monday.
The fire originated from an electric short circuit of a shop at around 5:00am and soon engulfed the adjacent shops of the bazar.
Being informed, three units of fire service from Sribardi and Bakshiganj rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control, said Md Ashraf Hossain, station officer-in-charge of Sribardi fire service office.
Various goods, including rice, pulses, husks, food products, cosmetics, oil and others kept in shops and godowns, were burnt.
While the exact extent of the damage was yet to be determined through investigation, affected shop owners have estimated losses of approximately Tk 3 crore.
Meanwhile, at least seven shops were burnt to ashes in a fire near Bangladesh Sweden Polytechnic Institute area in Kaptai upazila of Rangamati in the afternoon.
The fire broke out at 12.30pm from an electrical short-circuit of a shop and soon engulfed the adjacent shops, said
Kaptai fire service and civil defence senior station officer Md Shahadat Hossain.
On information, members of the Kaptai fire service and navy fire brigade rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control, with the help of local residents, after frantic efforts.
The extent of damage and losses was yet to be ascertained, fire service officials said.