A fire broke out at a market in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat on Thursday afternoon, leaving at least five shops, a cooperative office and a dwelling house gutted, with losses estimated at around Tk 50 lakh.

The incident occurred around 4:00pm at Sarkar Market in Burirdanga union.

On information, two units of Mongla EPZ Fire Service rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after about an hour of efforts.

The fire damaged several establishments, including a pharmacy, an electronics shop, grocery stores, a cooperative society office and a residential house.

Affected traders said the fire had left them devastated, causing significant financial losses.

Sarkar Market Committee General Secretary Supad Biswas said five to seven shops were completely gutted in the fire.

There was a cooperative society in the market with around Tk 15–16 lakh in cash, and the shop where the money was kept was also burnt. In total, the losses may range between Tk 50 lakh and Tk 60 lakh, he said, adding that traders are now worried about how to recover from the damage.

Mongla EPZ Fire Service Senior Station Officer Md Emran Hossain said the fire was brought under control after an hour-long effort by two firefighting units.

He said five shops were completely destroyed in the blaze, adding that the fire was initially believed to have originated from an electrical short circuit.