A fire at an aviary in Bagherhat left around 4,000 Cockatiel and Budgerigar birds dead on Sunday.
The incident occurred at the farm of Shuvro Sheikh in Surshail village located in the Chitalmari area on Sunday morning. Fire service and civil defence members, along with local residents, managed to control the fire after 2 hours of relentless effort. Three individuals sustained injuries while trying to extinguish the fire. "I started bird farming about 7-8 years ago to escape poverty. I worked hard to expand the farm despite many difficulties," said Mohammad Shuvro Sheikh, owner of the aviary.
He added that there were more than four thousand birds of Cockatiel and Budgerigar birds on his farm.
"Around 4am in the morning, we were awakened by the commotion caused by the fire. When we rushed outside, we saw flames engulfing the farm," Shuvro Sheikh said.
The fire also engulfed cash amounting to Tk175,300, two houses, over four hundred bird cages, and several thousand chicks and eggs, he added.
"I have incurred a loss of approximately Tk15 lakh," Shuvro Sheikh said, adding he has been undone.
Chitalmari Fire Service and Civil Defense station in-charge Mohammad Abdul Odud said, "We arrived at the scene promptly. However, by that time, the fire had already caused significant damage. We estimate the loss to be around Tk14-15 lakh." It is initially believed that the fire originated from an electrical short circuit.
