Chatmohar, Mar 19 (V7N)– A devastating fire has destroyed the homes of two daily wage earners, Abdul Alim and Saiful Islam, in DBgram, Chatmohar upazila of Pabna district. The incident occurred on Tuesday night, March 18, leaving the families homeless and without belongings.

After Iftar and Tarawih prayers, the families were asleep when a fire broke out in Abdul Alim's house, quickly spreading to Saiful Islam's residence. The fire consumed everything, including furniture and three goats. Abdul Alim's visiting aunt, Shahida Khatun, sustained severe burns and was admitted to the Upazila Health Complex.

The families were left without food for Sehri and were forced to mourn under the open sky. Local residents managed to extinguish the fire after an hour of effort. The fire service suspects an electrical short circuit as the cause.

Upon receiving news of the incident, Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Musa Naser Chowdhury visited the site on Wednesday morning, March 19. He provided each family with 10,000 taka in immediate financial assistance from the upazila administration, totaling 20,000 taka. He also assured them of further support.

Abdul Alim expressed his gratitude for the UNO's prompt assistance, stating, "Even if a thief steals, he leaves something behind. But when it burns in a fire, nothing remains! When I was thinking about where to stay and what to eat, UNO sir came and stood by my side. Many houses in our area have caught fire before, but I have never seen a UNO come. We are lucky, sir (UNO) came to the house of poor people like us and helped."

UNO Musa Naser Chowdhury emphasized his human response to the tragedy, saying, "I am not only a UNO, but also a human being. I am very saddened by the burning of the houses of those two families. I went to their houses as a human being. The upazila administration has provided some immediate assistance. I have asked them to apply for more assistance."

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