Shariatpur, May 19 (UNB) - At least nine shops were gutted by a devastating fire at Japsha Bazar in Noria upazila on Friday night.

Local people said the fire originated from an electric short circuit at a shop of the bazaar and soon engulfed the adjoining eight shops at midnight.

On information, fire fighters from the district headquarters rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after four hours of frantic efforts with the help of local people.

The affected shop owners, in preliminary estimate, put the loss from the fire at about Tk 1 crore.