Deadly fire kills 6 of a family at Ashrayan project house in Sunamganj

Six people, including two women, died in a fire that erupted at a Ashrayan project house at Dharmapasha upazila in Sunamganj.

“The incident took place on Monday (September 30) midnight at a government Ashrayan project house in Sheem area of Jayashree union of Dharmapasha upazila,” said Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Gias Uddin on Tuesday (October 1) morning.

He said, “We rushed to the spot early in the morning. How the fire started is under investigation. The fire did not spread to the neighbouring house. Witnesses said that the doors and windows were closed from inside at the time of the fire.”

Dharmapasha Circle Assistant Superintendent of Police Ali Farid and Dharmapasha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Enamul Haque are inspecting the spot.

The deceased have been identified as Emarul (50), his wife Polly Akhter and their four children Palash, Farhad, Fatema Begum and Omar Faruq.

Mentionable, under the government’s Ashrayan Project, landless and homeless family is provided with a semi-pucca house on two decimals of land.

According to local sources, the husband and wife had been quarreling for a long time. Everyone except Emarul was sleeping on the night of the incident. As a result of that quarrel, Emrul tied the hands and feet of his sleeping wife and children, poured kerosene around the house and set the door on fire. Instantly the fire burned everything. Emarul himself could not escape from the burning flame.

According to the police, the people of that family went to sleep with the surrounding houses like every night. Smoke and fire were seen by the people around 12:30 am. Seeing the fire, the people around rushed to the spot and saw that the doors and windows were closed from inside. The house was destroyed by fire. At that time, six people including four children of that family died in the fire inside.