A devastating fire broke out at a large slum in Dhaka’s Mirpur burning all of 20,000-2,500 shanties and leaving 50,000-55,000 people homeless, authorities say.
The fire started at the slum in Jhilpar of Mirpur's Section-7 at 7:22pm on Friday (Aug 16), Ershad Hossain, duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Central Control Room, told Bangla Tribune.
Assisted by Police, Rapid Action Battalion and Dhaka Water Supply And Sewerage Authority, as many as 125 firefighters were engaged in tackling the fire, he added.
As many as 24 firefighting units managed to tame the flame around 10:30pm after three hours of hectic effort, said Fire Service Director (operations and maintenance) Lt Col Zillur Rahman.
At least, four people were reported injured with no news of death or missing, he added.
Of the injured, firefighter Jewel Rana was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with two others - Kabir and Habib - were admitted to different hospitals in Mirpur.
"The fire gutted all of the shanties before spreading to nearby buildings. A two-storied building, too, caught the fire," one Sahabuddin told Bangla Tribune.
The slum housed nearly 100,000 people and most of them were away because of Eid-ul-Azha, claimed the slum-dwellers.
It, however, contradicts with Dhaka North City Mayor Atiqul Islam’s remarks on the number of people living there, what he said between 50,000-55,000.
Meanwhile, panicked by the fire, people living in the nearby area were seen leaving their residences and taking to the streets.
Locals were seen helping the fighters and law enforcement agencies' members to tame the flame.
Adequate forces had been deployed to keep situations under control, said Rupnagar police inspector Golam Rabbani.
Fire Service Deputy Director (operations) Debashish Bardhan said dumping work has begun to estimate the damage and find out any possible causality.
It would continue throughout the night, he added.
SABOTAGE?
In addition to a possible origin of the fire from a short circuit, or from a stove, slum-dwellers also suspect foul play in the fire.
“The slum was set on fire pouring kerosene. The poor won’t be allowed to stay here. So everything was set on fire,” said one Razia Begum.
Another dweller Mitu Akter said she had never seen such huge fire before.
“Everything has burnt down,” she said adding she too suspects someone deliberately set fire to the slum.
Police, however, said they have no information on possible sabotage in the slum.
“We haven’t received any allegation on the matter yet,” said Moshtaq Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. 
REHABILITATION
Mayor Atiqul Islam and State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman and local lawmaker Elias Mollah visited the spot.
The mayor said they with the help of other authorities they would take whatever steps necessary to assist the affected people.
"There were between 20,000 25,000 shanties at the slum that housed between 50,000-55,000 people," said Atiqul before adding the slum-dwellers, now rendered homeless by the fire, would continue to stay in five neighbouring schools till their rehabilitation.
Arrangements, too, have been made for supplying foods to these fire-affected people, he added.
Minister Rahman also assured the affected families of receiving financial assistance.
A plan would be formulated to relocate these affected people after setting up permanent settlement in Mirpur’s Baunia embankment, he said.
Back in 2015, the government took up two projects at a cost of Tk 2.16 billion to build a number of multi-storied buildings for slum-dwellers and low-income people.
The government had planned to build nine six-storey buildings, with a total of 432 flats, on two sides of the Baunia embankment in Mirpur’s Section 11 and another 27 buildings in another part of Section 11 to accommodate 648 more flats.
Construction of multi-storied buildings for slum-dwellers on Baunia embankment is underway and these people would be rehabilitated there, said mayor Atiqul.
“We have reached out to the prime minister and the PM’s Office on the matter of rehabilitation and we are working as per their directions,” he added.
Citing immediate rehabilitation of such large number of people a challenge, lawmaker Mollah called the locals to stand by the affected people.
PROBE PANEL TO FIND OUT CAUSE OF FIRE
City corporation, fire service, and home and disaster ministries would open separate inquiry to look into the cause of the fire, Minister Rahman told the reporters on the spot.
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