Fire guts 8 shops in Rajshahi

Rajshahi, 22 Dec --A fire at Taherpur Bazar in Rajshahi's Bagmara upazila on Sunday evening completely destroyed at least eight shops.

The fire, which broke out around 5:30pm at an oil shop, quickly spread to other establishments, said Md. Ibrahim, In-charge of Bagmara Fire Service and Civil Defense.

Four fire engines from Bagmara and Durgapur Fire Stations responded to the scene and brought the blaze under control by around 7:30 pm.

However, the tanker truck was destroyed in the fire before the fire service arrived. The flames also engulfed eight shops, including an oil depot, a food hotel, a grocery store, and a workshop.

While the total damage is yet to be assessed, it is reported that around 400 barrels of oil were burnt in the oil shop alone.

Fire officials suspect the fire may have been caused by a cigarette while the tanker truck was unloading oil into the barrels.