At least one person was killed and several tin-shed houses were gutted in a fire that broke out near a temple at Askar Dighi’s Paschim Par area in Chittagong city this evening.

The deceased was identified as Arun Chakraborty, 65, a resident of a house adjacent to the temple, said Md Mohsin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.

Arun was rescued by firefighters after they doused the flames on his house. He was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where doctors declared him dead around 9:30pm, the OC said.

The fire broke out from a house near Shree Shree Loknath Brahmachari Mandir around 7:00pm and soon spread to the adjacent houses, our Chittagong correspondent reports quoting Kamal Uddin, Assistant Director (AD) of Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters.

On information, three units of firefighters rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control at around 8:30pm, said Kamal Uddin.

Firefighters are still trying to douse the remaining flames at the spot till filling this report.

The reason behind the fire incident could not be ascertained immediately.

Saibal Das Sumon, councillor of Jamal Khan Ward of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), said the place where the fire broke out accommodated around 30 to 35 Hindu families.”

Bipul Chakraborty, priest of the temple, told The Daily Star that the fire originated from a thatched house located near the temple’s gate and soon engulfed the other adjacent houses.

The temple did not catch fire but several residences nearby were gutted within half an hour, the priest said.