It will take another one to two hours to bring the fire at Dhaka’s Korail slum under control, according to the Fire Service.
A large area of the slum was still burning intensely until nearly 10pm Tuesday, at the time of writing this report. The fire had started at 5:19pm. This means four and a half hours had already passed, yet the Fire Service had not been able to bring the fire under control.
According to the latest information, 20 units are working to control the fire.
Under these circumstances, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operations and Maintenance) of the Fire Service, briefed journalists at the scene.
He said, “We are trying to confine the fire. Once the flames from the eastern and northern sides subside, we will then locate the source of the fire. Then we will bring it under control.”
He also mentioned that he would be able to provide “good news” within the next one to two hours.
When asked if they were facing any obstacles in controlling the fire, he said, to reach the area where the fire is, they have to connect lines across a vast area to get water pipes there. Connections are coming loose in some places, and in others, they have to clear severe crowds to work.
Responding to questions about why it was taking so long and if there was a water shortage, the official said, “There is water all around. But it’s taking time to reach the spot where the fire is burning. We couldn’t reach quickly at the very beginning. It took the first unit more than 35 minutes to reach the scene. Due to crowds and traffic congestion, our large vehicles couldn’t even get close.”
He informed that the first unit arrived after the fire had reached its third stage, adding, “That’s why it’s taking time to control. We have increased our strength. We hope to bring it under control within one to two hours.”
Earlier, the fire broke out in the Korail slum, adjacent to Mohakhali-Gulshan, at 5:19pm. This slum, spread over about 90 acres, is home to at least 80,000 people.
