Twenty-four shops were damaged in a fire which broke out at Natun Stand in Khulna's Batiaghata upazila early Wednesday.
Iqbal Bahar Bulbul, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the fire was sparked by an electric short circuit around 4:45 am and spread soon.
On information, two firefighting units went to the spot and extinguished the blaze after one hour of frantic efforts.
The fire gutted valuables of 24 shops.
The affected shop owners claimed that the estimated loss caused by the fire is about Tk 48 lakh.