Several residents of the capital’s Korail slum in Banani have reported that a devastating fire may have started due to a gas cylinder explosion. A five-member investigation committee has been formed by the Fire Service and Civil Defence to determine the exact cause, with instructions to submit a report within 15 working days.
According to the Fire Service, around 1,500 homes were destroyed in the blaze.
Multiple residents told the Dhaka Tribune that the two-storey tin-shed structure owned by a man named Alam housed a pharmacy on the ground floor and residential rooms above. They claimed that the fire broke out after a gas cylinder exploded on the upper floor.
“At around 5:30pm on Tuesday, a loud explosion was heard from Alam’s upstairs unit. Flames erupted immediately and quickly spread throughout the slum,” residents said.
Many residents have been left homeless, appealing to the government for urgent assistance. Razia and Gias Uddin, a couple who have lived in the slum since the 1990s, lost 10 rooms and their pharmacy in the fire. Razia estimated their losses at Tk25 lakh.
“Everything has been burned to the ground. We have become beggars on the street; we have nothing left,” she said.
Children were also affected, with many living outdoors alongside their mothers. Taslima, holding her six-month-old baby, was seen beside the charred remains of her home. “I ran out with the children wearing only the clothes on our backs. We have no warm clothes; the children are crying from hunger,” she said, appealing to wealthy members of society for help.
A visit to the site on Wednesday revealed that the entire Korail slum had been reduced to ashes. Victims were found taking shelter in open fields, standing before the rubble, or rummaging through debris in search of salvageable items. Many organisations and individuals distributed food, water, and essential supplies, and a medical camp was set up for those affected. Women and children appeared to be suffering the most, with many huddled beneath shawls in the winter cold.
Investigation committee formed
The Fire Service and Civil Defence on Wednesday formed a five-member committee to investigate the cause of the fire. Md Mamunur Rashid, deputy director (Operations and Maintenance) of the Fire Service, has been appointed head of the committee. The members include Atish Chakma, deputy assistant director of Fire Service Dhaka Zone-2; Md Nazim Uddin Sarkar, senior station officer of Tejgaon Fire Station; Md Sohrab Hossain, warehouse inspector of Dhaka-23; and Kazi Nazmuzzaman, assistant director of the Fire Service, who will serve as member secretary.
Shahjahan Sikder, acting head of the Fire Service media cell, told Dhaka Tribune that the probe would consider all possible factors, including illegal gas connections, electrical issues, wood-fired stoves, gas cylinders, and careless smoking. The exact cause will be known after the investigation is completed.
Earlier, Fire Service Director (Operations and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists that around 1,500 homes had burned down. No casualties have been reported so far.