Barlekha-Judi Correspondent: A devastating fire broke out at the house of a London expatriate in Barlekha, Moulvibazar. The incident occurred on Saturday, April 27, at around 7:45 PM at the house of Zakir Ahmed, a London expatriate, in the North Pukura (Doulatpur) village of the upazila. The entire house was destroyed in the fire.
The fire caused damages worth approximately 20 lakh Taka, destroying a cow shed, eight partially built rooms, and various furniture items. Fire service personnel arrived at the scene upon receiving the news and, with the help of locals, managed to control the fire. Police also visited the site on the same night to inspect the situation.
However, the affected family and locals have complained that the fire service took around an hour and a half to arrive at the scene, during which time the fire had already spread, burning the cow shed, the rooms, and furniture.
The exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed, but locals believe it may have started from a coil in the cow shed.
According to the affected family and local sources, the fire started at around 7:45 PM in the tin-shed cow shed of Zakir Ahmed’s house in North Pukura (Doulatpur) village. The fire quickly spread from the cow shed to the adjacent semi-pakka kitchen and other rooms of the house. Upon noticing the fire, neighbors rushed to the scene. They informed the local mosque via the loudspeaker. People from the surrounding area gathered and attempted to control the fire. They managed to move five cows and the household furniture out of the house. However, by the time the fire service arrived and extinguished the fire, the cow shed, eight semi-pakka rooms, and various furniture items had already been completely destroyed.
Zakir Ahmed’s father, Masuk Uddin, said on Sunday afternoon that no one was home at the time of the incident. He was at the mosque for prayers, and his sick son, who was crawling, managed to get out of the house. The family members had gone to Bianibazar for an urgent matter. Upon hearing about the fire, they quickly returned home to find the house on fire. With the help of locals, they managed to salvage some of the household items. Some of their cows were slightly burned in the fire.
Shamim Molla, Station Officer of Barlekha Fire Service, said, “Upon receiving the news of the fire, we reached the scene and managed to control the fire. The house owner stated that the fire originated from the cow shed and spread to the house. Several rooms and furniture were damaged. However, the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage cannot be confirmed without an investigation.”
