After nearly two hours of hectic efforts, firefighters brought the fire that broke out at Hasina Market in the city’s Karwan Bazar area under control around 9:55 pm on Sunday night. According to several media reports, 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. Quoting Mohammad Ismail Hossain, president of Uttar Karwan Bazar Bebsayee Jana Kalyan Samity, news agency UNB said the market had 181 shops and the flame burned down 178 of those. A total of 26 units of firefighters put out the flame with the help of local people.

The fire could have been doused much earlier if the onlookers won’t make the place overcrowded and if there was no squally wind due to bad weather. Asked about the cause of the fire, firefighters declined to make any comment saying that it was too early to say anything about that. They also could not immediately confirm whether any one got trapped in any shop of the market. Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan visited the spot around 8:30pm.