At least 30 business structures, including two plywood factories, were gutted in a devastating fire in Senbug upazila of Noakhali early Sunday.

According to witnesses, smoke and flames were first spotted around 12:30 am at one ‘Palli Plywood Factory’ in the Southern part of the bazar on Sebarhat-Nabipur road.

Locals rushed to the scene and tried to douse the flames before calling the Senbug Fire Station.

Though two firefighting units from the station responded it quickly but the blaze spread to nearby shops within moments.

Md Belal Hossain, acting station officer of Senbug Fire Station, suspected that the fire might have originated from one of the plywood factories due to an overheated boiler at Sebarhat Bazar, one of the largest markets of the upazila, around 12:20am.

Initially two firefighting units from the station rushed to the scene and tried to bring the flame under control but failed due to severity of the fire, he said.

Later, three more units from Chaumuhani, Maijdee and Dagonbhuiyan joined them and brought the fire around three hours after the incident, said Farid Uddin, assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Noakhali.

Locals, police and army personnel joined the fire service, he said.

Lamenting the damages the businessmen incurred, one of the victims Abul Bashar said such factories should be set up outside crowded marketplaces to ensure environmental safety and reduce fire risks.

The damaged establishments include eleven metal workshops, hardware, ceramics and other businesses.

Though the affected-businessmen claimed that the valuables worth over Tk 100 crore were damaged in the fire, the fire service said it would be known only after investigations.