Dhaka: Around 20 shops burnt down in a devastating fire at Jhutpotti in city's Mirpur-10 area on Tuesday midnight, in a quick recurrence of+ nighttime blaze in such ghettos.

There were no reports of casualty in the late-night blaze.

Witnesses said the fire originated 00:40am in a shop within the slums of Jhutpotti. Nine fire-fighting vehicles of four different units drove in and doused the flames after four hours’ tenacious fight with the support of local people.

Shop owners alleged some rapacious persons plundered their shops during the disaster.   
 
In a separate incident earlier Monday, a fire gutted at least five garment-scrap warehouses and seven shanties in the same area.

BDST: 1040HRS,May19, 2010
MZ/AK/MUA/