Firefighters brought under control a massive fire that broke out at the Kalshi slum in the capital’s Pallabi area on Monday night, with 15 units and 123 firefighters taking part in the operation.
The fire was brought under control around 9:35pm, said Lieutenant Colonel Md Azad Anwar, Director (Training, Planning and Development) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate.
He said the Fire Service control room received information about the blaze at approximately 7:23pm and rushed there as soon as possible.
According to him, the slum has around 1,200 houses and scrap shops, accommodating nearly 3,000 to 3,500 people.
As the severity of the fire increased, 15 firefighting units were deployed and 123 firefighters. Firefighters, with assistance from local residents, volunteers, police, RAB and the army, managed to contain the blaze, he added.
He said the cause of the fire could not yet be determined and would be known after an investigation.
He also said there was no nearby water source, forcing the Fire Service to bring in 15 special water-carrying vehicles to douse the flames.
The presence of scrap materials, paper and plastic goods shops in the slum contributed to heavy smoke and rapid spread of the flames, he said.
He added that, according to local residents, no casualties or missing persons had been reported so far.
He also said the Fire Service would form an investigation committee over the incident.