PHOTO / WORLD
Fire guts shanties in Bangladeshi capital
By Xinhua Published: Mar 15, 2023 11:32 AM
This photo shows a fire ripping through houses at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)

This photo shows a fire ripping through houses at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)


 A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties.

Fire Service Headquarters Duty Officer Rashed Bin Khalid told journalists that the fire erupted at around 7:50 p.m. local time Monday and it soon engulfed an area with hundreds of shanties in the slum.

He said firefighting units rushed to the spot after receiving information and doused the fire at around 10:10 p.m. local time.

The slum, called Kunipara, in Dhaka's Tejgaon industrial area, is home to many poor residents. According to the officer, at least 100 shanties made of scrap sheet iron, plastic and cardboard were destroyed fully or partially in the fire.

The official said they have not yet determined the exact cause of the blaze. No casualties have been reported.

Fires are common in Dhaka's slums where hundreds of thousands of people are crammed in shacks along rails and waterways.

This photo shows the smoke-shrouded site of a fire at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)

This photo shows the smoke-shrouded site of a fire at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)


 
This photo shows a fire ripping through houses at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)

This photo shows a fire ripping through houses at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)


 
Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)

Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)


 
Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)

Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire at a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 13, 2023. A massive fire tore through one of the largest slums in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, destroying at least 100 shanties. (Photo:Xinhua)