A fire broke out at a six-storey residential hotel in Shariatpur Sadar Upazila early on Friday, injuring at least five people and destroying 12 motorcycles and a private car parked on the ground floor.
The incident occurred at around 1.30am on Friday, 4 September, at Nur Hotel International, located near Shariatpur Government Girls’ High School. The fire reportedly began in the ground-floor parking area before spreading rapidly through the building.
According to police, firefighters and local residents, a private car parked inside the hotel was believed to be the initial source of the blaze. Witnesses said the car’s tyre appeared to burst first. A short time later, a cylinder inside the vehicle exploded with a loud bang, after which the fire spread quickly across the parking area and towards the upper floors.
There were 17 people inside the hotel when the fire broke out. As flames and smoke intensified, they moved to the roof of the six-storey building to escape the immediate danger.
Local residents alerted the Fire Service after noticing the blaze, while police also rushed to the scene. Two Fire Service units subsequently began efforts to contain the fire. After about 20 minutes of operations, firefighters brought the blaze under control and rescued all 17 people from the roof.
Five of those rescued were injured during the incident. They were taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital for medical treatment. No deaths were reported in the incident.
The fire caused significant damage to vehicles parked in the hotel’s ground-floor parking area. Twelve motorcycles and the private car were completely destroyed. The authorities had not immediately determined the total financial value of the damage.
Eyewitness Alim Kazi said the fire appeared to have started from the vehicle in the parking area. He said people moved away after hearing the first sound from the car, followed by a much louder explosion from the cylinder, which appeared to shake the building. The fire then spread rapidly.
Sub-Inspector Sudhangshu Sarker of Palong Model Police Station said police received information about the fire through their radio communication system while they were in the Dhanuka area. Officers then went to the hotel and assisted the Fire Service in controlling the blaze and bringing the people trapped on the upper floors to safety.
Shariatpur Fire Service and Civil Defence Inspector Shankar Biswas said firefighters received the emergency call at around 1.30am and arrived to find the parking area engulfed in flames. The intensity of the fire and the resulting heat initially made it difficult for firefighters to reach the upper floors.
After around 20 minutes of firefighting, the blaze was brought under control and all 17 people sheltering on the roof were rescued. Five were injured and sent to the Sadar Hospital for treatment.
Inspector Biswas said the preliminary assessment suggested that an electrical fault might have been responsible for the fire. However, the information available immediately after the incident did not establish the exact cause conclusively.
The circumstances surrounding the vehicle, the cylinder explosion and the rapid spread of the fire are expected to be examined as part of the authorities’ assessment. The extent of any damage to the hotel building itself was not immediately available.
