Over 50 shops destroyed as fire ravages Narsingdi market

A massive fire tore through the Muripatti area of Narsingdi’s Madhabdi Bazar early Friday, destroying more than 50 shops.

The blaze broke out around 5 a.m. and was fully extinguished by 10 a.m., with efforts led by five firefighting units from Madhabdi, Narsingdi, and Palash Fire Services, according to Raihan Ahmed, station officer of Madhabdi Fire Station.

Local traders reported the fire through mosque megaphones, alerting nearby residents who rushed to help contain the flames. Despite their efforts, the fire rapidly spread across the market.

Witnesses noted that the Fire Service took nearly two hours to arrive at the scene, reaching around 7 a.m. before finally putting out the fire three hours later.

The affected shops included those selling gold, groceries, beauty products, plastics, and electronics. Estimated losses run into tens of millions of taka.

While traders suspect the fire originated in a gold and jewellery store, authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause.

No casualties have been reported, and an investigation is underway to determine the fire’s origin.