A massive fire on Tuesday partially destroyed a major market in the Bangladeshi capital close to the diplomatic area, forcuing authorities to deploy the Navy to douse the fire. The fire broke out at the DCC Market in Dhaka’s Gulshan-1 area. Over 600 shops caught fire around 2:00 am (local time).
It is feared that most of the shops have been gutted.
Part of the market that houses raw goods collapsed, The Daily Star reported.
As many as 22 firefighting units were on the spot to fight the fire. No deaths have been reported in the incident so far.
“Two firefighting units from the Navy and 20 units from the Fire Service have been working to douse the blaze,” the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Some shop owners suspect it to be an act of sabotage, but Dhaka North Mayor Anisul Huq said an electrical malfunction may have caused it.
“Can’t say how this massive fire broke out,” Gulshan police’s Deputy Commissioner Mustak Ahmed said.