Eight shops gutted

At least eight shops were gutted in a fire at a local market in Birampur upazila of the district yesterday. The fire originated from an electric short-circuit at a shop at Bachchu Market and soon engulfed seven other adjacent shops around 3:30am. On information, two fire-fighting units from Birampur and Hili rushed to the spot and doused the blaze after two hours of frantic efforts, said Saiful Islam, station officer of Birampur Fire Station. The affected shop owners claimed that the loss caused by the fire could go up to Tk 20 lakh.