The fire that has been raging for more than six hours at the capital's Bangabazar originated in a shop at Adarsha Market, a market under the Bangabazar Shopping Complex, witnesses said.

"We first saw flames at a shop in the market around 6:00am. We, around 15 staffers of the market, tried to douse the blaze using extinguishers but could not," said Md Sumon, an electrician of the adjacent Mahanagar Complex.

"One of us then ran to the nearby service headquarters to inform about the incident while others called fire officials," he said.

Sumon said he suspected that fire was caused due to an electric short circuit.

However, fire officials said they were yet to ascertain the cause of the fire and an investigation is needed in this regard.

Azad Kabir, owner of two shops in the market, rushed to the spot, hearing the news of the fire.

"I saw shops of Adarsha Market was burning. The fire then spread to other markets," he told The Daily Star.

Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brigadier General Md Main Uddin said their teams were working since morning but it was not the right time to say about the source of the fire.

"We will be able to say after investigation," he told The Daily Star.