Fire breaks out in hotel room in Cox's Bazar's Kalatali, blamed on AC short circuit

A fire has broken out at the Cox Ambassador Hotel in the Kalatali hotel-motel zone of Cox's Bazar. The fire started at around 6:30pm on Thursday in a room on the fifth floor of the eight-storey building.

Within moments, the fire spread to the room next door. Tourists staying at the hotel began running in panic. However, no casualties were reported in the incident.

On receiving the news, two Fire Service units reached the scene and brought the fire under control at around 7:30pm. More than fifty tourists were staying at the hotel at the time, it was learned.

Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain, deputy director of Cox's Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the fire started from an electrical short circuit in an air-conditioning unit in one of the hotel's rooms. Two Fire Service units reached the scene quickly and brought the fire under control. No one was injured in the incident, he said.

The evening fire in the hotel-motel zone spread panic among tourists.

A series of fire incidents at hotels in Cox's Bazar town is raising concern over safety. On 10 November, at around 6am, a fire broke out at a dwelling house adjoining a hotel on Saikatpara road in the town's Kalatali hotel-motel zone. At least four dwelling houses were burnt. Had the fire not been brought under control quickly, there were fears it could have spread to several nearby hotels.

Earlier, on 23 October, a fire broke out at the Sea Princess residential hotel at Sugandha Point in the town. However, thanks to the Fire Service's quick response, the fire was brought under control and no major damage occurred.

On 17 October, 11 tourists died in a devastating fire at the wooden Tuptup Resort at Patuartek beach in Ukhiya.

According to the district administration and the Fire Service, 90 percent of the more than five hundred hotels, resorts, guesthouses and cottages in Cox's Bazar town do not have adequate fire-fighting arrangements.