A massive blaze ravaged numerous shops at a market in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, but fortunately, there were no fatalities as the fire engulfed the area during the early hours of Thursday, before businesses had opened.
It took six hours for a combination of military personnel and firefighters to control the inferno, which rapidly spread through the Mohammadpur market because of the substantial presence of highly flammable items like cooking oil and plastics, according to authorities.
"My family relied on this store; what do we do now? Everything reduced to ashes," lamented a shopkeeper in statements to local media.
Frequent fires plague the densely populated city of Dhaka, which has experienced a construction boom in recent years and often lacks adequate safety precautions. Incidents of fire and explosion frequently arise from defective gas cylinders, air conditioning units, and substandard electrical wiring.
In April, a fire broke out in a shopping complex in Dhaka, injuring multiple firefighters and causing the destruction of approximately 5,000 stores.