Malda, Feb. 9 -- A devastating fire broke out in a plastic warehouse in Sujapur under Kaliachak police station early Sunday morning, around 3 am, reducing six warehouses to ashes. The estimated loss due to the fire is approximately Rs 80 lakh. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in Sujapur. Similar fires in the past have resulted in losses worth crores.
As soon as the fire broke out, local residents rushed to the scene and attempted to douse the flames. The fire engines arrived nearly two hours late by which time the fire had completely destroyed the six warehouses. The affected warehouses belonged to Habib Khan, Sakirul, Anikul Haque, and Azim Sheikh, among others.
Sakir Hossain, the owner of one of the warehouses, stated, "The fire broke out around 3 am. The locals immediately tried to douse the fire. The fire department was informed, but they arrived at around 5 am . By then, everything was destroyed. If a fire station had been set up in Kaliachak, the losses would have been much lower."
Local representatives had previously assured the establishment of a fire station in Kaliachak, but it is yet to see the light of day. Every time a fire breaks out, authorities cite land disputes as an excuse for the delay. The repeated fires have caused significant financial losses to traders, but no permanent solution has been implemented.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.