DHAKA: In the wake of a stoked-up fear of house fires in the capital, a fire broke out at the posh “Prince Plaza” shopping mall in Sobhanbagh area on Wednesday afternoon

Fire Brigade sources said the fire broke out as a generator on the basement of the multistoried market blasted at about 1:15pm.

On quick information, two firefighting units rushed in and put out the flames at about 2:45pm.

No major damage was, however, reported in the blaze. But the fire panicked all in around the market—as Old Dhaka’s Nimtoli conflagration burning down homes and factories is still fresh in people’s memory as a worst nightmare.             

“Black smokes started billowing out of the underground floor of the market with a big sound. Then a flame of fire was seen from outside,” said many an eyewitness at the scene.

Traffic on the busy Mirpur road halted for a while following the fire incident, creating a severe congestion on both sides of the road.

A number of recent fire incidents in the city, particularly the Nimtoli inferno on June 3, in conjunction with a terrible building collapse, shook the country.

BDST: 1430HRS. June 9, 2010
MHQ/HJS/LY/MUA