The Fire Services and Civil Defence has formed a probe committee to investigate the fire that gutted hundreds of shanties at a large slum in Dhaka’s Mirpur Section 7 and left thousands homeless on Friday (Aug 16).

Fire Service Deputy Director (ambulance) Abul Hossain will head the three-member strong panel, BSS reports quoting Ershad Hossain, duty officer at fire service and civil defence office, as saying.

Other members of the committee are -- assistant director (operations) Abul Hossain and deputy assistant director (Mirpur Zone) Newaz Ahmed.

The committee was asked to submit its report as early as possible, Ershad said.