Online Report : At least 16 business establishments, mostly wooden furniture shops, were gutted in a fire at Shibaloy upazila in Manikganj district early Monday.

Md Nadir Hossain, warehouse inspector of Shibaloy upazila Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed the matter and said that the blaze broke out at one of the furniture shops in Aricha Bandar area around 4 am, and soon spread to other furniture shops, one sawmill and one house.

On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the flame under control around three hours after the fire, he said.

The fire service officer assumed that the fire originated from an electronic short-circuit, causing damages of around Tk 50 lakh.