11 houses gutted in Nilphamari fire

The fire broke out around 9:00 pm on Friday at Patwari Para village under Itakhola union of the upazila. The victims are currently living under the open sky in inhumane conditions.

Eyewitnesses said the fire originated from the house of Dulal Roy and spread rapidly to nearby houses. As a result, homes, furniture and stored rice belonging to other families were completely destroyed. Two cows owned by Pratima Roy were also killed in the blaze.

Upon receiving the information, two units of the Nilphamari Fire Service rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after nearly two hours of effort.

Confirming the incident, Itakhola Union Parishad Chairman Hedayet Ali Shah Fakir said the fire was suspected to have originated from an electrical short circuit. He added that the damage worsened as most male family members were away at the local market at the time of the incident.

Nilphamari Fire Service officer Makul Hossain said the estimated loss from the fire stood at around Taka 8 lakh. "Preliminary investigation suggests the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit," he added.

Meanwhile, Nilphamari Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mubashira Amatullah visited the affected area on Saturday afternoon and distributed relief materials. 

Each affected family received two blankets, 10 kilograms of rice, lentils, oil, sugar, salt and cooking spices from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, reports BSS.