Historic Jhalmal Cinema Hall in Mymensingh destroyed by fire
Photo: Agamir Somoy
The historic Jhalmal Cinema Hall in Gouripur, Mymensingh, was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday.
Gouripur Fire Service In-charge Md Khabirul Alam confirmed the matter and said the cause of the fire could not be immediately determined. However, it is suspected that the fire originated from a gas cylinder warehouse and spread rapidly in an instant.
Initially, two units of the Gouripur Fire Service attempted to bring the blaze under control, but were unsuccessful. Then two units from the Iswarganj Fire Service and one unit from Mymensingh Agricultural University joined the other firefighters.
Although the fire was brought under control nearly three hours later, flames were seen burning again in the morning inside a furniture factory located within the building. Later, the Gouripur Fire Service team arrived and brought it under control.
The fire caused extensive damage to the theater built during the British era. Moreover, a furniture manufacturing factory inside the building, a gas cylinder warehouse, and the office of the Driver Labor Union situated in front were burned down.
The cinema hall has remained closed for a long period. It houses a furniture factory and a gas cylinder warehouse. The factory owner, Bhutto, said he learned about the fire around 30 minutes after it broke out. He reported that timber, furniture under construction, and machinery worth more than Tk 1 crore were destroyed in the fire.
Tanveer Ahmed, owner of Tanveer LPG Store, added that a shipment of 250 gas-filled cylinders arrived last night and all were stored in the warehouse. He noted that everything was destroyed in the fire, causing him a loss of nearly Tk 35 lakh.
Md Majnu Mia, president of the Driver Labor Union, said their office was located in front of the main cinema hall building. The office was reduced to ashes in the fire, incurring a loss of nearly Tk 2 lakh.
Gouripur Assistant Commissioner (Land) ABM Kausar Zaman told Agamir Somoy that Jhalmal Cinema Hall is state property. The government had leased it out to operate the cinema hall. Authorities will inspect who is using it under what condition and assess the extent of damage caused by the fire before taking next steps.
