Around 300 tourists were evacuated after a fire broke out in the parking area of The Sea Princess Hotel near Sugandha Point in Cox’s Bazar on Friday afternoon. No casualties were reported.
The fire started around 4pm on October 23 in the ground-floor parking area of the nine-storey hotel, according to police, fire service officials and hotel authorities.
At the time, around 300 tourists were staying in more than 100 rooms. After noticing thick smoke, guests rushed out of the building and took shelter on the nearby beach.
A Fire Service unit arrived at 4:20pm and brought the blaze under control within about 30 minutes with assistance from hotel staff.
The fire damaged parts of the parking area, including a generator.
Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of the Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said a unit was dispatched from the nearest fire station immediately after the alarm was raised.
A preliminary assessment suggests that a short circuit in the generator triggered the fire, he said, adding that no one was injured.
Abdul Kader, managing director of The Sea Princess Hotel, said the hotel had adequate firefighting equipment and that the prompt response of staff had helped avert a major disaster. All guests were safe, he added.
The incident comes less than a week after a fire at the Tuptup resort in Inani, Ukhiya, on October 17 killed 10 tourists.
