A massive fire broke out at an illegal oil warehouse in the Daulatkhan municipality of Bhola on Thursday evening and completely destroying eight shops and leaving at least five people injured.
The blaze erupted in a warehouse owned by local oil trader Shahabuddin located near the Beribadh area in Ward 3. The flames quickly spread to adjacent businesses. Local residents and firefighters managed to bring the fire under control after a frantic one-hour effort but not before six oil warehouses and two other shops were reduced to ashes.
Local residents allege that the warehouses were operating illegally without valid licenses also posing a severe public safety risk to the densely populated area.
Daulatkhan Fire Service Station Officer Mokhlesur Rahman confirmed that the fire originated from an unlicensed oil storage facility. While an investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of the blaze with initial estimates suggest the financial damage could reach around Tk.1 crore.
Daulatkhan Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdul Matin Khan visited the scene and confirmed the extensive property damage. He stated that the five injured individuals were promptly rescued and admitted to the Upazila Health Complex for medical treatment.
Authorities are now closely monitoring the situation as the fire service completes its post-incident assessment and clears the debris.
