A firefighter's iftar

Half a kg of puffed rice and 250g chickpeas – that's what was there for breaking fast for more than a hundred firefighters who were working to douse a fire that broke out today at the Korail slum.

As the call for the evening prayer came from nearby mosques, this correspondent saw firefighters take turns to have a fistful of the iftar and go back to work as the fire was brought under control by then but not doused completely.

Asked, Deputy Assistant Director Shafiqul Islam of Dhaka Zone-3 of Fire Service and Civil Defence, who was at the scene, said that's the normal procedure during a fire situation.

"Many of them were fasting … if the fire was not brought under control, they wouldn't even break their fast," he said, explaining the protocol for firefighters during a fire incident.

The fire was brought under control around 5:30pm.

"Whoever could find some time, broke their fast with a fistful of muri and chola," he said.

The fire was doused by 7:25pm.

A fire broke at the Banani portion of the massive Korail slum in Dhaka 4:05pm.

Ten fire engines went to the spot and brought the blaze under control by 5:33pm.