A fire believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit destroyed 13 residential units and two shops at a rented property in Boalkhali, Chattogram, on Sunday night. The blaze left several families and individual tenants without their belongings, while the property owner estimated the financial loss at around Tk 2 million.
The fire broke out at about 8pm on 27 September at Sheikh Bari in East Kalurghat, Ward No. 2 of Boalkhali municipality. Local residents said the flames began at the rented property owned by Jamal Soudagar and spread rapidly through the building.
The closely situated residential rooms meant the fire moved quickly from one section to another. As the flames intensified, tenants were unable to remove their belongings. Furniture, clothing, personal possessions and other household items were left inside as residents attempted to move to safety.
Two units of the Boalkhali Fire Service were sent to the scene after the alarm was raised. Firefighters worked for about an hour before bringing the blaze under control, preventing it from spreading further in the surrounding area.
Jamal Soudagar, the owner of the rented property, said 13 residential rooms had been destroyed along with a grocery shop and a bakery. He estimated the total damage at around Tk 2 million.
The fire affected tenants from several parts of the country. Among them were garment worker Nasima from Chakaria, driver Shakil, driver Nezam from Bhola, garment worker Rajib, mason Helal from Patiya, Jannat from Hazarichar and driver Munna from Ukhia.
Nasima Begum, who works in a garment factory, said she had kept Tk 10,000 from her salary at home. She was unable to retrieve the money after the fire broke out, and it was destroyed in the blaze.
“I had kept Tk 10,000 from my garment factory salary at home. The money was burnt in the fire, and I had no opportunity to recover it because of the intensity of the blaze,” she said.
Witness Sohel said many of the affected tenants were away at work when the fire started. As a result, they had little or no opportunity to return to their rooms and rescue their belongings.
Five families lived at the rented property, while the remaining occupants were bachelors, according to people familiar with the premises. The arrangement meant that a number of households and individual workers were affected at the same time.
The incident also illustrates the particular risks faced by residents of densely occupied rented properties when a fire spreads rapidly. Once flames move from one room to another, residents often have only a short period to leave safely, making it difficult to retrieve valuables or essential documents.
Alok Chakma, station officer of the Boalkhali Fire Service, said two units were dispatched after receiving information about the fire in the East Kalurghat area. Firefighters took around an hour to bring the situation under control.
He said the initial assessment suggested that an electrical short circuit had caused the fire. The exact extent of the damage, however, will depend on a detailed assessment of the property and the belongings lost by the tenants.
By the time the fire was brought under control, the 13 residential rooms, a grocery shop and a bakery had suffered extensive damage. For the affected tenants, the immediate challenge is not only the loss of property but also the disruption to their living arrangements after losing most of what they had kept in their rooms.
