Ambagan slum fire burns 12 houses

Warehouse Inspector at the Fire Service headquarters Mahmudur Rahman said 12 firefighting units worked to douse the fire. He said it was not clear what caused the fire, which was put out around 9:45am. “The reason behind the fire can be known after an investigation.” Mahmudur said the fire destroyed 12 houses containing a total of 55 rooms. “The amount of damage is estimated to be Tk30 lakh but nobody was injured in the incident,” he added. Locals said the slum was allotted to third- and fourth-grade employees of Dhaka University but the employees rented the rooms to low-income people such as rickshaw-pullers and garment workers. They said the fire originated at a house and quickly spread to other houses. Rahima Khatun, who lives in the slum, told journalists she was able to come out of the house after the fire broke out. “But the fire reduced my possessions to ashes.” Another slum dweller named Jahangir said: “I was sleeping. When I woke up, I saw the fire and hurriedly came out to escape.” Witnesses said the fire caused panic among the slum dwellers as they ran to safety. Many also tried to take with them whatever possessions they could while running away. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq visited the spot and said the victims would be provided with financial assistance. Earlier, a devastating fire broke out on Monday night at Hasina market in Karwan Bazar. It took two hours of frantic efforts to douse the blaze.