Around fifty shops were gutted in a fire at Bolibazar in Bolipara union of Bandarban's Thanchi upazila early this morning.

Three units of fire service reached the spot around 6:20am and together with the help of locals managed to bring the blaze under control around 8:30am, reports our Bandarban correspondent quoting Pyar Mohammad, an official of Thanchi Fire Station.

The fire originated from Nilgiri Hotel around 5:00am today, said Aungsing May Marma, president of Market Traders Committee.

Goods worth Tk 1 crore are feared to have been damaged in the fire, Aungsing added.

The fire service official, however said, the extent of the damage could not be known yet.