A fire has broken out from a leaking gas pipe at Masterbari Bazar under Shreepur upazila in the district on Thursday evening, halting traffic movement on the adjoining Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for about three hours.
The fire also engulfed to adjacent Hawkers Market, gutted more than 50 shops, one masque and some houses and injured two people, said local business leader Abdur Rab.
Witnesses said the incident occurred while the authority was digging holes near the highway around 7pm.
Shreepur Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Master Tosaraf Hossain said: “Fire fighters managed to control the flame after an hour’s effort around 8pm. However, they are yet to douse the blaze.
The extent of the damage cannot be estimated immediately,” he added.
The vehicular movement on the highway became normal around 10pm.
