Two buses set ablaze in separate incidents in Gazipur

Two buses of Azmeri Paribahan were set on fire in separate incidents in Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila today (9 November), with police suspecting deliberate arson.

The fires broke out at around 5:30am and 6:30pm at two locations in the Chandra area along the Dhaka-Tangail highway.

Tarikul Islam, station officer of Kaliakair Fire Service, confirmed the incidents, saying firefighters had brought both fires under control after receiving reports.

Both buses sustained extensive damage, but the exact cause of the fires has yet to be established, he said.

According to local residents and Fire Service sources, the buses belonged to businessman Sajal Mia and had been parked beside the highway for several months.

The first fire broke out at around 5:30am in a bus parked beside the Chandra Forest Office. Firefighters from Kaliakair Fire Service Station rushed to the scene and extinguished the blaze.

The second incident occurred around 6:30pm when another bus parked beside Kajoli Filling Station, also known as Kajoli Farm, near Chandra Bus Station, caught fire.

Locals alerted the Fire Service after noticing the flames and tried to extinguish the fire themselves but failed. Firefighters later arrived and brought the blaze under control at around 7:30pm.

Kaliakair Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahidul Islam said the buses had been abandoned at the locations for the past two to three months and had neither engines nor other major mechanical components.

Police primarily suspect that miscreants deliberately set the buses on fire, he said, adding that both incidents were under investigation.