, May 17 -- A fire destroyed around 47 shops and dwelling houses at Baghmara Bazar under Jamchari union in Sadar upazila of Bandarban early Sunday.

The fire broke out at a shop around 4:00am and soon engulfed adjoining ones as well as dwelling houses, said Jamchari Union Parishad Chairman Kyasing Shai Marma.

Initially, locals tried to bring the fire under control, but it spread rapidly as most structures in the market contained highly flammable materials and were close to each other.

Later, four firefighting units rushed in and brought the fire under control after nearly three hours of effort, said Abdullah Mannan Ansari, acting assistant director of Bandarban Fire Service and Civil Defence station.

The affected traders estimated the ...