Dhaka: A portion of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) market of Gulshan 1 collapsed as fire broke out at the market building in the early hours of Tuesday.

Around 100 shops were burnt down and part of the kitchen market collapsed in the fire.

The fire originated at a shop in the east part of the 2-storey building at about 2:30am. Fire service deputy director Samar Chandra Biswas said around twenty-two units of firefighters were trying to douse the fire till 10:30am.

Samar Chandra said reason behind the fire could not be known immediately.

The traders said there are around 1,500 shops at the market.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Annisul Huq visited the incident spot at about 8:30am. Annisul Huq told the journalist primarily it has been believed that the fire started from an electrical short circuit.

However, the traders and shop owners claimed the fire as a sabotage act. They said the fire fighters took time to start their fire dousing operation. The traders also stage demonstration demanding more fire fighters units on the early hours of Tuesday.

Witnesses said the fire also engulfed some part of an adjacent building of Gulshan Shopping Centre at about 10:00am. Fire caught at two shops of the ground floor at the six-storey building. Later, the shop traders evacuate their shops and shifted their valuables by trucks.