Chandpur shopkeeper faces ruin after midnight blaze destroys 17-year-old business

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A devastating overnight fire has left a small business owner in Chandpur’s Matlab Uttar upazila destitute, destroying a livelihood that took seventeen years of debt-funded labor to build. Jahirul Islam Patwary, the 40-year-old proprietor of Jahir Telecom in Ludhua village, watched his shop—which served as both a general store and a fuel depot—burn to the ground early Sunday morning.

Patwary established the business nearly two decades ago through bank loans and personal borrowing. Over the years, the shop became the sole source of income for his family, covering daily household expenses, loan installments, and the education of his two children, who attend a local madrasa and a secondary school. The shop stocked a variety of essential commodities, including rice, tea, and fuel products such as petrol, diesel, and octane.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, hours after Patwary had secured the premises and returned to his nearby home for the night. Despite the arrival of fire service crews, who managed to prevent the flames from spreading further, the structure and its entire inventory were reduced to ash before help could arrive.

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Patwary estimates his financial losses at approximately 600,000 taka. While the exact cause of the blaze remains unknown, he has expressed concerns that the fire may have been an act of sabotage. His nephew, Parvez Patwary, noted that the business had been performing well, making the sudden loss particularly devastating for his uncle, who now faces an uncertain future.

In response to the tragedy, Matlab Uttar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mahmuda Kulsum Mani stated that the local administration is prepared to offer assistance to the displaced merchant to help him navigate the recovery process.