Massive fire at Mirpur's Kalshi slum under control
Narrow roads, water shortage hamper efforts to douse the blaze
A massive fire that broke out at the Kalshi slum in the capital's Pallabi area of Mirpur was brought under control after nearly two hours of efforts by the Fire Service, which said narrow roads and a shortage of water hampered firefighting operations.
Speaking to reporters at the scene after the fire was brought under control around 9:30pm today (25 May), Fire Service Director (Training, Planning and Development) Lieutenant Colonel MA Azad Anwar said the slum contained around 1,000 to 1,200 houses and scrap shops, where nearly 3,500 people lived.
He said the Fire Service received information about the blaze at 7:23pm and the first unit reached the scene at 7:32pm.
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A total of 15 units worked to control the blaze and managed to bring it under control at 9:35pm, he added.
However, he said it would take more time to fully extinguish the fire.
"Small pockets of fire are still visible inside. The roads were extremely narrow and many pathways became blocked after houses collapsed. As a result, it is taking time to reach the source of the fire. However, we hope the blaze can be fully extinguished shortly," he said.
In addition, as there was no nearby water source, firefighting operations had to be carried out with the support of 15 specialised water-carrying vehicles, he added.
The Fire Service official said the cause of the fire and the extent of damage could not be immediately determined, adding that a probe committee would be formed.
Replying to a question, Azad Anwar said the presence of scrap shops, paper stores and plastic goods shops in the slum generated a large amount of smoke during the fire.
"There were huge amounts of combustible materials inside the slum, such as paper and cloth. Combined with strong winds, the fire spread rapidly within a short time," he said.
Regarding casualties, he said no reports of deaths or injuries had been received so far.
The Fire Service was maintaining regular contact with local residents and no reports of missing persons had yet emerged, he added.
However, he said some people might have been injured, although no official report had yet reached the Fire Service.
Asked whether anyone had been trapped inside the slum, he said no such information had been received so far and that local residents were being regularly consulted for updates.
Responding to another question on whether the fire had any connection to a recent drive conducted in the area, he said no comment could be made on the matter without an investigation.
