Authorities have successfully extinguished a fire that erupted in the Korail slum in Dhaka after approximately 16 hours of continuous firefighting efforts, according to fire service officials.
The fire broke out around 5:15 pm yesterday, with nineteen firefighting units managing to bring it under control by approximately 10:30 pm the same day. Complete extinguishment was achieved by around 9:30 am today, as confirmed by Rashed Bin Khalid, the duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence control room.
Fortunately, there were no reported casualties in the incident.
Early today at the scene, Fire Service Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury stated that preliminary reports from locals indicated that around 1,500 makeshift shelters were destroyed or damaged by the fire.
He mentioned that the exact count would be determined following a thorough investigation.
Lt Col Chowdhury explained that three firefighting units arrived at the location approximately 35 minutes after the fire began, citing heavy traffic congestion as the primary reason for the delayed response.
Despite the subsequent arrival of additional units, challenges arose as some fire engines struggled to access the area due to narrow lanes, impeding the firefighting operation.