A six-year-old minor was burned alive when a house caught fire in Kaliakoir upazila, Gazipur on Friday night.
Mehedi Hasan, 6, was the son of Sadeq Ali from Kurigram. His mother Moina Begum, a ready-made garments worker, used to live in the house.
Fire sparked from a short circuit, located in Kathaliachala, around 10:15pm, Mouchak police outpost in-charge Sub Inspector Syed Azharul Islam said.
The fire soon spread to the entire house, he said. “Locals doused the flames after one hour of efforts. Three rooms of the house were gutted.”
Kaliakoir Fire Service and Civil Defense station officer Apurba said locals’ doused the flames before fire fighters could reach the spot.
Locals said Moina Begum was a worker of Hazi Islam Uddin Spinning Mills. She had locked up the house, leaving her child Mehedi sleeping inside the house.
Locals found the dead child after flames were doused. The body was identified and later handed it over to relatives.
House owner Abdul Kader claimed of losses over Tk5 lakh in the fire.