Bangabazar blaze: Eid season dreams turn to ashes

Traders, whose businesses have been crippled by the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing inflation, had their eyes on Eid to recover from the losses. 

Tuesday's fire at Bangabazar has turned all their dreams to ashes.

While firefighting units and armed forces battled a growing inferno, shop-owners and keepers were seen crowding in front of the building. Many were trying to salvage whatever they could. 

Many traders had banked big on Eid sales to recoup from seasons of losses due to various reasons. They had invested big in hopes of healthy returns.  

"We could not even save one-third of the products in our shops," lamented two brothers, Md Bilu and Selim, who owned Swadhin Garments and Ira Garments in the market in Bangabazar.

They said there was about Tk1 crore worth of goods in the two shops.

Abdul Alim, an employee who works in their shops, said the fire started after sehri.

Photo: Shafiqul Islam

"I live in Nazirabazar and came to the spot at around 6:30am after hearing about the fire," he added.

Md Rafiqul Islam, the younger brother of  shop owner Shafayet, told The Business Standard (TBS) that he has been missing since fire engulfed the market.

Hasan Garments on the 2nd floor of the market, owned by Shafayet, has been gutted in the fire.

"My brother invested Tk2 crore in RMG products targeting Eid; now he is missing," he said.

Another trader in Annexco Tower, Mohammad Reaz Hossain, said "I was able to salvage only Tk60/70 lakh worth of goods from my shop on the ground floor of Annexco Tower. But I lost about Tk3 crore worth of goods in the fire."

He owns six stores in two floors of Annexco Tower and had recently took a loan of Tk2.2 crore from Brac Bank.

DM Habib, office secretary of Bangabazar Shop Owners Association, claimed that around 3,500 shops have been damaged in the fire.

"I have two shops also, hundreds of crores worth of RMG products are now just ashes," he added.

Photo: Shafiqul Islam

Habib Ahsan Hobi, one of the directors of Annexco Tower, said the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th floor of the Annexco Tower which are adjacent to Bangabazar building has been burned down.

"The fifth floor contained shoe shops which caught fire instantly," he said.

One businessman was seen lamenting, "God help us if we can recover from this. If the prime minister helps us in rehabilitation only then we will be able to stand again, otherwise we are doomed."

The last such devastating fire that burned down Bangabazar was in 1995, it was rebuilt after that.

The devastating fire that started at the capital's Bangabazar market around 6am today (4 April) has spread to adjacent buildings as well, including the Annexco Tower, and affected a portion of the Police Headquarters.

A total of 47 fire service units along with members of the armed forces, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are working to bring the situation under control.

"We can't go close to the fire, the heat and smoke in the area are suffocating. Some of our firefighters are getting breathing issues as there is a lack of oxygen here," said one firefighter.