At least eighty stores were reduced to ashes in the recent tragic fire that destroyed the largest wholesale textile market in Bangladesh, Baburhat, in Narsingdi.
The fire broke out near the Baburhat Merchants Association office as eleven fire units arrived on the scene in record time in response to the emergency. Three hours of nonstop work finally brought the fire under control.
The president of the Shekherchar-Baburhat Banik Samity, Md. Giasuddin, had suspicions that a short circuit at a lamppost close to the market was the cause of the fire.
Baburhat has long been an important hub for Bangladesh’s indigenous fabric trade, with a bustling wholesale market that is open from Friday through Sunday.
Witnesses in the vicinity of the traders’ association’s former office saw smoke rising from it.
The fire quickly grew through the market’s winding pathways, consuming 70–80 stores and sending the vendors into a state of terror.
Some store owners tried to save their merchandise in the face of this calamity, while others were forced to watch helplessly as their establishments burned down. Teams of firefighters from Madhabdi and Narsingdi arrived on the site quickly, but a damaged bridge prevented them from entering the market.
As a result, they were forced to put out the fire with water from backup tanks and the Old Brahmaputra River.
