Korail slum fire under control after 5 hours
Fire at Dhaka's Korail slum has been contained after five hours, at 10:35pm.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Anwarul Islam, inspector at Fire Service and Civil Defence's media section, said they were alerted about the blaze around 5:19pm.
He confirmed that 21 firefighting units were dispatched to the site to bring the flames under control.
At 7:10pm, Anwarul told The Daily Star that the fire was intense and was spreading rapidly -- worsened by a shortage of water and narrow lanes crowded with people obstructing firefighting vehicles.
"We had to bring water through a pipe from about a kilometre away, which is hampering our efforts. However, we are doing our best to control the blaze," he said.
Around 7:20pm, the 90-acre slum plunged into darkness due to a power outage as the fire consumed 200-250 homes, according to witnesses.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with crowds running in panic, residents desperately trying to save valuables, and firefighters battling the flames alongside locals using water from tube-wells.
The cause of the fire and the full extent of damage are yet to be determined.
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