A devastating fire broke out on Friday at a market in Khushir Bazar area in Sadar upazila, gutting at least nine shops and causing a loss of around Tk 14 lakh.

“The fire originated from one Harun Mollah's shop due to electrical short circuit. It soon spread to adjacent shops. On information, two units of Faridpur Five Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot and doused the blaze after one and a half hours,” said Faridpur Fire Service and Civil Defence Senior Fire Station Officer Md Saifur Zaman.