A massive fire that swept through the Karail slum in Dhaka has been brought under control after more than five hours of frantic efforts by firefighters.
According to Fire Service Inspector Anwarul Islam, the blaze was finally tamed at 10:35pm on Tuesday, November 25, with the combined efforts of 20 units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The fire was first reported around 5:22pm, prompting the deployment of seven units. However, heavy traffic delayed their arrival by about 35 minutes. Additional units later joined, gradually bringing the flames under control.
While many homes in the densely populated slum have been destroyed, officials have yet to confirm the exact number of structures damaged.
Earlier in the night, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Director (Operation and Maintenance) of the Fire Service, briefed reporters at the scene. He said firefighters faced significant challenges due to the congested layout of the slum.
“Many of our vehicles cannot get close to the fire. We have to extend water lines across a vast area,” he said.
He added that although the intensity of the blaze had started to decline, efforts were being reinforced to contain it fully.
“If the fire reduces on both the east and west sides, we’ll be able to bring it under full control. After that, we must identify the source of the fire before declaring it fully extinguished.”
Responding to questions about water constraints, he explained that it takes time to draw water from designated sources and channel it to the fire site.
When asked about the biggest challenge, Lt Col Tajul Islam pointed again to delays in reaching the scene.
“Had we reached earlier, the situation could have been contained sooner. Our first unit took over 35 minutes to arrive because of traffic, and larger vehicles couldn’t enter the area initially. By then, the fire had already reached an advanced stage.”
No casualties were reported as of filing this report. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.