A massive fire in Dhaka’s Karail slum burned for nearly 16 hours before being fully extinguished on Wednesday morning, leaving widespread destruction and hundreds of families without shelter. The blaze was first reported at 5:22 p.m. on Tuesday, after which 19 units of the Fire Service were deployed. Heavy traffic and the slum’s narrow lanes delayed their access, forcing firefighters to pull hoses over long distances and pump water from a nearby canal due to the absence of a water source.
The fire was brought under control around 10:35 p.m., but it continued to smolder through the night, finally being extinguished at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Initial estimates indicate that approximately 1,500 homes were destroyed. There were no casualties, but the scale of displacement is severe: hundreds of residents spent the night outdoors, with their belongings, documents, and savings turned to ash.
On the ground, families were seen searching for temporary shelter, attempting to salvage small items, or simply standing before the ruins of their homes. Many residents had purchased basic household appliances on installments or saved over months to buy essential goods—now lost in minutes. For long-term residents of the slum, the fire represents not only immediate displacement but also the erasure of years of precarious, hard-earned stability.
Fire officials said the cause of the fire remains unknown and will be investigated. However, the incident once again highlights the chronic vulnerability of informal settlements in Dhaka, where dense housing, lack of infrastructure, and limited emergency access leave communities exposed to large-scale devastation. As families wait for relief and reconstruction support, the Karail fire stands as another reminder of the urgent need for safe housing policies, emergency preparedness, and accountability in one of the city’s largest informal settlements.
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