DHAKA, Bangladesh, Aug 17 (NNN-BDNEWS) – As many as 20 units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence brought the blaze in the slum at Mirpur Section-7 under control, around three-and-a-half hours after it started around 7:15pm on Friday.
Rupnagar Police Station Inspector, Golam Rabbani confirmed the extent of damage caused by the fire.
A Fire Service official said, two people were injured, but could not confirm whether they were burnt.
There has been no report of anyone missing in the fire, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner, Moshtaque Ahmed said, later at 11:15 pm.
The fire service had first sent seven units when its control room received the report, and the other units joined in later, Ershad Hossain, an official at the control room said.
One of the residents of the slum, Shahadat Hossain, said, the slum has three units – No. 7, No. 8, and Arambagh, with a total of around 1,000 families.
The fire burnt down his shanty after originating from the centre of the slum, Shahadat said.
Another resident, Mohammad Siddique claimed, 40,000 people lived in the slum in total, called Jhilpar Slum, at Chalantika bend in the area.
Many people have got out and there is an exit through the backside as well, Inspector Rabbani said.
Mbost of the dwellers had travelled to their home towns or villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha and were yet to return.
The blaze destroyed everything, as most of the shanties were locked from outside, he said. The fire spread to the ground floor of a four-storey mosque building next to the slum.
The floor of the Al-Arabiya mosque houses vegetables, groceries, and clothing shops, and some of these have been gutted.
There are a multi-storey building, a hospital and several garment factories next to the mosque.
The authorities evacuated the workers and shut down the factories immediately after the fire started, locals said.
Police Sub-Inspector ‘Masud’ said, police and Fire Service worked together to stop the fire from spreading to the buildings near the slum.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Enamur Rahman and Dhaka City North Mayor, Atiqul Islam visited the site and assured the victims of assistance.
They also said the authorities made arrangements so that the slum-dwellers, now rendered homeless by the fire, can stay in five schools in the neighbourhood for now.– NNN-BDNEWS
