An eight-year-old boy is in critical condition after a fire, suspected to be caused by an electrical short circuit, destroyed two homes in Ashtagram Upazila at midnight on Tuesday.
The victim, identified as Touhidul Islam, was sleeping at his grandfather’s house in Alinagar village, Deoghar Union, when the fire broke out. Touhidul is the son of Abdul Majid from Kastul Union and was visiting his maternal relatives at the time.
According to the Fire Service and local witnesses, the blaze originated at the residence of farmer Abu Turab around 12:00 AM before quickly spreading to an adjacent house. Both structures were completely razed.
Medical Officer Dr. Aminul Islam of the Ashtagram Upazila Health Complex reported that Touhidul suffered 60% burns to his body. Following emergency primary care, he was rushed to Kishoreganj Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College Hospital due to his critical state.
Firefighters brought the flames under control shortly after arriving at the scene. The affected families estimate the property damage to be approximately 1 million BDT.
