Fire Destroys Four Houses in Gangachara, Rangpur, Killing Cattle and Burning Savings and Daughter's Gold

A fire has destroyed four houses belonging to two brothers in the Nabonidas Mathar Par area of Sadar Union in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur. The family said a cow and three goats were killed, and money saved to buy land and a daughter's gold ornaments were burned.

The fire broke out on Wednesday evening (4 November) at the home of Ashok Chandra Roy (50) and his younger brother Naresh Chandra Roy in that area of Gangachara Sadar Union.

According to the family, Chanu Bala had finished evening prayers at home and gone to visit a neighbouring house. A short while later, hearing neighbour Golapi Rani scream, she learned that their house was on fire.

Rushing back, Chanu Bala saw the dwelling house ablaze. A cow and three goats tied inside were struggling, but the intensity of the fire made it impossible to go near. The livestock burned to death in front of her.

Family members said Chanu Bala fainted at one point as she watched everything in the household burn.

Three of Ashok's houses and one of Naresh's houses burned in the fire. The family said the burned property included 300,000 taka saved to buy land and gold ornaments worth about 200,000 taka given at their daughter's wedding. In total, they claimed losses of about 800,000 taka.

Visiting the spot on Thursday morning, only charred tin, bamboo and wood remained where the dwelling house had stood. Ashok and his wife Chanu Bala spent the night in a small makeshift shelter built beside the house with burned tin.

Sitting in the yard of the burned house, Chanu Bala broke down in tears. She asked how they would repay so much debt and how they would give back their daughter's gold, saying everything was finished and nothing was left in the house.

Ashok Chandra Roy earns a living by going around the area cutting coconut and date palm branches and applying pesticides in orchards. He has a son and a daughter. His daughter was married three to four years ago, and his son lives in Dhaka for work.

Ashok said he had built the house with difficulty on just two decimals of land received from his father. Hoping to buy some land and build a house for his son's wedding, he had saved money little by little over several years since his daughter's wedding, taking instalment loans and working in the area. That saving was destroyed in the fire. He added that he had recently taken 50,000 taka in instalments, of which 30,000 taka is still owed.

At his daughter's wedding, Ashok had given gold ornaments worth about 200,000 taka bought with borrowed money. When his daughter had a child, she had left that gold with her mother, and he said it too burned in the fire.

Eyewitness Golapi Rani said that after finishing evening prayers she came outside and saw flames coming out through the tin roof. Hearing her scream, people nearby rushed in and tried to put out the fire, but could not. A wall beside the shed made it impossible to enter where the cow and goats were. By the time the fire service arrived and put out the fire, everything was over, she said.

Local people tried to extinguish the fire but could not bring it under control. On receiving the news, firefighters from Gangachara Fire Service reached the spot. However, the narrow and impassable road delayed their arrival somewhat, and by then most of the dwelling house and belongings had burned.

The family suspects the fire may have started from the house's prayer room. However, the actual cause of the fire could not be confirmed.

Gangachara Fire Service firefighter Ariful Islam said they reached the spot quickly after receiving the news and brought the fire under control. Property worth about 450,000 taka could be saved. Before their arrival, damage of about 270,000 taka had already occurred, he said.

Rangpur-1 MP Raihan Siraji said he heard about the fire at night. He said he would visit the spot on Thursday and see whether anything could be done for the family.