1500 houses burnt in Korail slum fire

A massive fire swept through Dhaka’s Korail slum on Tuesday (November 24), destroying around 1,500 shanties before firefighters brought the blaze under control after five hours of effort.

However, no casualties have been reported so far.

According to Fire Service Director (Operations & Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, the estimate of damaged homes came from initial accounts of residents, while the exact extent of losses will be confirmed after investigation.

He said the first units reached the scene about 35 minutes after the fire broke out at 5:22pm. Severe traffic congestion and extremely narrow lanes prevented fire trucks from entering the slum, forcing firefighters to pull long hose lines from outside. By the time they reached, the fire had already spread to a “developed stage,” making the operation more challenging.

Firefighters also faced difficulties due to tangled electrical lines and large numbers of gas cylinders in the area, which made approaching the source of the flames risky. However, he said the teams worked tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading further.

There was no water shortage, as supplies were drawn from fire service water carriers, WASA, and nearby drains.

Responding to questions about recurring fires in Korail, Lt Col Tajul Islam said regular fire drills are conducted in the area, and a recent drill helped responders manage the situation more efficiently.

Regarding demands for using helicopters to douse slum fires, he clarified that aerial firefighting could worsen the situation by spreading flames due to rotor wind, making it unsuitable for such dense settlements.

The fire was initially tackled by 11 units, with eight additional teams joining later as the blaze intensified.