Five fishing trawlers kept at a dockyard in Barguna’s Patharghata for repairs have been burnt in a fire, bdnews24.com reports.
The blaze started around 11:30 pm on Sunday at the dockyard owned by Abdul Quader, said Tofayel Ahmed Sarkar, the district’s additional superintendent of police.
The fire was brought under control after an hour and a half with the help of the fire service and locals but it had gutted five trawlers before then, he said. Another trawler was partially burned, he added.
“Everyone finished up their work at the dockyard an hour or two before iftar and went home,” said yard owner Abdul Quader. “So, I’m not sure how it started. But I believe that someone with hostile intentions started it.”
“Five seafaring fishing trawlers were in the yard for repairs,” said Shahjahan Sikder, station leader of the Patharghata fire service. “The trawlers had combustible materials on board and the wind was high, which caused the fire to spread quickly.”
“We were able to bring the fire under control after an hour and a half, but we could not confirm the cause.”
The fire service official estimates the blaze may have caused about Tk 15 million worth of damage.
A panel will be formed to investigate the matter, he said.