Dhaka – A four-member probe committee has been formed in connection with the fire that broke out at Hasina Market in the city’s Karwan Bazar area on Sunday evening, unb news agency reported.
The Fire Service Civil Defense (FSCD) headquarters formed the committee, headed by its deputy director (Dhaka division) Mozammel Haque.
The committee has been asked to submit the report by three days, said Ataur Rahman, duty officer of the FSCD.Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali, director general of the FSCD, said it took time to bring the fire under control due to shortage of water and light.
The fire broke out at 7.55 pm and it soon raged through the market, located just behind Janata Tower on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, burning down a number of shops.
After nearly two hours of hectic efforts, firefighters brought the fire under control around 9:55 pm
The fire might have originated from a burning cigarette butt or any candle light at a shop of the tin-shed double-storey market that housed nearly 200 shops around 7:55pm, said some shop owners and employees of the market.
Mohammad Ismail Hossain, president of Uttar Karwan Bazar Bebsayee Jana Kalyan Samity, said the market had 181 shops and the flame burned down 178 of those.
Around 10:30 pm, Major Shakil Newaz of the FSCD officially announced that they tamed the flames.
He said 26 units of firefighters put out the flame with the help of local people.
Firefighters, however, said the drive to extinguish the fire got disrupted due to the onlookers’ overcrowding and squally wind. “Had there been no wind during the fire, we could have put it out much earlier,” Shakil said.
Asked about the cause of the fire, firefighters declined to make any comment saying that it was too early to say anything about that.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Annisul Huq visited the spot.
