Elderly woman dies in fire at sweeper colony in Jamalpur

An 80-year-old woman was killed in a fire that broke out at a sweeper colony in Melandah upazila of Jamalpur early today.

The deceased was identified as Ajufa Begum, a resident of the colony in Nathpara area under Melandah municipality.

According to police and fire service officials, the fire originated around 4:00am at a house and quickly spread to an adjacent structure. A unit from Melandah Fire Service rushed to the spot and managed to bring the blaze under control.

After dousing the fire, firefighters recovered the charred body of Ajufa Begum from inside the house.

"She was sleeping with the door closed and could not escape when the fire broke out," said Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Melandah Police Station.

The duty officer of Melandah Fire Service said the fire might have started from a kerosene lamp. The exact cause, however, is being investigated.

The local administration has launched an inquiry into the incident.