A devastating fire in Sreepur, Gazipur, has destroyed an autorickshaw garage along with 15 autorickshaws. Several nearby shops — including a sound system shop, a grocery shop, a welding mixer machine, and a tea stall — were also burnt, causing an estimated loss of around Tk 50 lakh.
The fire broke out at around 4:30am on Tuesday in a garage owned by BNP leader Abul Monsur Mondal, located on the eastern side of Sreepur Railway Station.
Tea stall owner Mozammel Hossain said he closed his shop at midnight and went home. After hearing about the fire, he rushed back only to find everything burnt. Suruj Mia’s welding mixer machine, worth about Tk 4 lakh, was also completely destroyed.
Autorickshaw owners Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Sultan Uddin, Abdus Samad, Shariful Islam, Abdul Kuddus, Himel and Mohammad Monsur Ali said they had bought their vehicles with NGO loans and borrowed money. Many of them still had unpaid instalments and interest. According to the affected garage and shop owners, the total loss amounts to nearly Tk 50 lakh.
Mohammad Nurul Karim, Warehouse Inspector of Mawa Fire Service in Sreepur, said two units rushed to the spot after receiving the call and brought the fire under control within half an hour. A total of 20 autorickshaws, sound systems, microphones, grocery items, and the entire tea stall were burnt.
