Desk Report,
Fire breaks out at election officer’s office in Barguna, ballot boxes and photostat machines burnt
A room in the Barguna District Election Officer’s office has been gutted in a fire. A fire broke out in the data entry (second) room around 7:30 am on Monday. Fire service personnel later brought the fire under control.
Voter lists, photostat machines, computers and ballot boxes were gutted in the fire. However, no casualties were reported.
Fire breaks out at election officer’s office in Barguna, ballot boxes and photostat machines burnt
Meanwhile, a three-member investigation committee has been formed by the Deputy Commissioner to investigate the cause of the fire. The investigation report has been ordered to be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner within three days.
District Election Officer Abdul Hai Al Hadi told Prothom Alo that the security guard reported a fire at the district election office around 7 am today. Later, fire service personnel arrived and brought the fire under control around 8 am. The voter lists for the parliamentary and local elections were gutted in the fire. In addition, the photostat machines, computers, PCs and ballot boxes were gutted. It is believed that the fire started due to a short circuit due to continuous rain. Upon receiving the information, the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police inspected the scene.
The location of the two-story building of the District Election Officer’s office next to the District Administrator’s office. When we visited around 10:30 am today, it was seen that the data entry room on the west side of the two-story building had been burnt in the fire. The plaster on the walls of the room had fallen off. The photostat machine and computer were burnt. The window grills were bent in the heat of the fire.
Jahangir Ahmed, Deputy Assistant Director of Barguna Fire Service and Civil Defense, said, “We came to know about the fire through a call to the national emergency service number 999. We quickly went there and controlled the fire. Due to quick action, major damage was avoided.”
