30 shops gutted at country’s largest wholesale cloth market in Narsingdi

At least 30 shops were burnt in a devastating fire that broke out in the country's largest cloth market at Sheikherchar-Baburhat area of Narsingdi early Sunday (17 March).

"The accumulated financial loss due to the fire could not be ascertained accurately, but the affected businessmen primarily assumed a loss of Tk10 crore due to the fire," said Shimul Mohammad Rafi, deputy assistant director of Narsingdi Fire Station.

Local people and fire service sources said the deadly fire likely erupted from a short circuit around 1:15am at Zia Uddin Market and engulfed the adjacent area. A total of nine fire extinguisher engines from Narsingdi, Madhabdi and Dhaka rushed to the spot in phases and brought the fire under control by 3am.   

About 30 shops were ablaze – where most of those were selling quilts and curtain-related clothes.

On information, six fire engines from Narsingdi Fire Station rushed to the spot and started efforts to tame the fire, and then three other units from the capital joined them and brought the fire under control.

The market is known as the largest cloth market in the country and has accommodation of nearly 3,500 shops where only clothes were being sold, said M Maniruzzaman, general secretary of the Sheikherchar-Baburhat Market Banik Samity.

Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner Badiul Alam, Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman and other district officials visited the spot immediately after the incident.

On 30 October 2023, another devastating fire broke out in the market, and 80 shops were gutted.