Staff Reporter :
All the 291 shops were gutted when a fire broke out in the tin-shed kitchen market of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) in Gulshan-1 area on Saturday morning .
The fire originated from cosmetic shop at the tin-shed kitchen market around 5:48am and later spread to all shops.
However, no casualties and losses were reported after the fire immediately, Major AKM Shakil Nawaz, Director (Operation and Maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), told the reporters in a press briefing in the morning
A total of 20 units from the Fire Service went to the spot and doused the blaze around 9:30pm, said the FSCD official.
It is said that 17 recommendations which were prepared by FSCD to avert the further incident that took place on January 3, 2017, were not followed , he said.
Fire safety measures were taken for market after the fire two days ago, said the market’s Traders Association President SM Talal Rizvi.
It is believed that the fire may have started from a cosmetics store. None stayed at the market overnight. The market was locked and guards were posted at the gate, he claimed.
The fire reportedly began at 5:48am on Saturday, and the first responders from the Fire Service arrived at 5:55am, said Baridhara Fire Station firefighter Moniruzzaman.
Dhaka North City Corporation Chief Executive officer (CEO) Abdul Hai said, “There were 291 shops in the kitchen market that were completely destroyed by the fire.”
DNCC market President Din Mohammad confirmed the number of the damaged shops and said all the stores damaged in the fire were on the ground floor of the market premises.
Two brothers, Jahirul Islam and Abdus Salam, shop owners at DNCC market, rushed to the spot and Jahirul Islam said, “It happened to me again. I have recently taken loan of Tk 5 lakh and stocked new products at the shop. And everything is now ashes.”
Jamal Hossain, owner of a sea-fish shop, said that he along with his three brothers used to run seven shops in the market and the fire gutted all of those.
Morshed Alam, a crookeries shop owner, said the fire that broke out in 2017 also gutted his shop. Later, he restarted his business with bank loan.
“This time, the fire gutted my shop again and caused a loss of Tk 50 lakh,” he claimed.
A five-member pannel headed by fire service Deputy Director Shamim Ahsan Chowdhury, has been formed to investigate the fire incident at the DNCC market. The committee has been directed to submit a probe report within the next seven days,” said Major AKM Shakil Nawaz.
He said, “We had earlier informed the market authority to take measures for ensuring fire safety, as we had found this complex risky. However, the authorities filed a writ against us.”
There is no fire extinguishing system in the market either, he claimed.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman vested the spot and declared that each rader will get Tk 10,000 and every worker will get 20 Kg rice for financial assistance based on the ground of the humanity.
