JS fire dowsed

A fire that broke out in the south-east plaza of Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) Bhaban in the city on Wednesday morning has been doused within half an hour, Fire Brigade and Civil Defence officials said. No casualties have been reported. Police and firefighters said the fire erupted on the 3rd floor of the south-east block of the parliament building around 8:30am and it soon engulfed the entire floor. Four fire fighting units rushed to the spot from Mohammadpur and Tejgaon fire stations and tamed the blaze around 8:55am. However, neither the fire fighters nor the police could confirm the cause of the fire. The extent of losses caused by the fire is yet to be ascertained. Contacted, Ashraful Haque, Sergeant-at-Arms at the Parliament Secretariat, said the fire started in the room of the personal secretary of Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed. He suspects an electric short-circuit might have sparked it, according to news agencies and private TV channels.