A devastating fire that broke out at a slum in the capital’s Mirpur 2 yesterday afternoon, razing over 200 shanties and 15 shops. No casualties were reported.
However, at least 10 dwellers were injured when they tried to bring out valuables from their houses.
The incident took place at Janata Housing slum, only three days after a devastating fire destroyed around 600 shanties of Modhubagh slum in Maghbazar and a child burnt alive while sleeping.
The fire erupted around 12:30pm yesterday. Fire fighters from 12 units doused it after around one and a half hours of frantic effort, Maj Mohammad Mahboob, director (operation) of fire service and civil defence, told the Dhaka Tribune.
He added that the reason behind the fire would be known after proper inquiry. An investigation committee would be formed shortly.
Dwellers and local people joined hands with the fire fighters to tame the fire.
The fire spread across the slum, where most of the over 1,000 shanties are contiguous and made of inflammable materials such as wood, bamboo and tin.
Salauddin Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Mirpur model police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that at the time of fire almost all the slum dwellers were out of home. For that reason, there had been no deaths reported.
Cleaners and low-income staff of the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) had been living at the slum for almost three decades. The dwellers said they had experienced such devastations at least four times and each time they started their journey afresh, fire broke out again because of some unknown reasons.
He was at a loss as to how he could resume regular life with his family.
About the reason behind the fire, slum dwellers alleged that some local influential people with the blessing of some land developers might have set fire to the slum. Some others said it might have originated from an electric short circuit.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed visited the spot and distributed blankets and foods to the affected families.
