The three-decked ferry, MV Avijan-10, was traveling from Dhaka to Barguna, a trip of . The ferry had a capacity of 310 but was carrying 800 passengers, many of whom were returning home for the weekend. The fire broke out around 03:00, when many of the passengers were asleep, off the coast of Jhalokati on the Sugandha River. According to the deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence at Brishal, Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, the blaze started in the engine room and quickly spread to other parts of the ferry.
