At least 19 shops were gutted in a fire at Jaliapara Bazar in Guimara upazila of Khagrachhari district on Sunday.

The fire broke out at a shop around 1:45 AM and soon engulfed 18 adjoining business establishments, including Ismail Market.

On information, two firefighting units from Matiranga and Ramgarh rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze with the help of local people and army personnel around 3 AM, said the in-charge of Matiranga Fire Service and Civil Defence, Harun-or-Rashid.

The burnt shops included electronics, furniture, grocery shops and other business establishments.

The estimated loss caused by the fire could not be ascertained yet but the affected shop owners claimed that the loss could go up to Tk 2 crore.

Irin Akter, Guimara Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said what caused the fire could not be known immediately.

A probe body will be formed to unearth the reason behind the fire, she said.