Ravaged by fire

Early morning of March 12, a fire broke out at the Ilias Mollah slum of Mirpur-12, burning down around a thousand shanty settlements. The shanties crammed on the 70-bigha land were home to approximately 25,000 people, most of whom were garments workers. No casualties were reported, save for one elderly woman with burn injuries. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Left homeless, their belongings and savings were destroyed in the course of just four hours. The victims are to be temporarily housed at an under-construction building nearby. Photo: Rajib Raihan

This marks the third major slum fire this year so far. On February 17, 200 shanties in Bashbari slum in Mohammadpur were gutted in a blaze. A compensation package consisting of 30kg of rice, BDT 3,000 in cash, a lungi, a sari and a children's shirt was subsequently distributed by the DNCC to the 221 affected families. On January 1, around a hundred homes burnt down in the Karwan Bazar slum in a matter of 20 minutes. Photo: Prabir Das

Earlier, on January 22, 2016, another fire set ablaze 21 shanties and nine shops in Kalyanpur slum, known locally as Pora Bosti (burnt slum), where 1,500 families resided. Photo: Palash Khan

400 shanties were gutted in a fire which broke out at Pulpar slum in the Battala Katasur area of Mohammadpur on January 10, 2015. Photo: Star File

Slum-dwellers have frequently been victims of fires over the years. In March 2017, at least 500 shanties were gutted in a fire at Korail slum in Mohakhali, the largest slum in the city. Home to around 200,000 people, it is located next to the upscale Gulshan area. The fire originated from a food shop in the slum in the early hours of the morning. In 2016, there were two other fires in Korail. On December 4, 2015, some 526 shanties were destroyed in a massive fire that engulfed a section of the Korail Boubazar slum and rendered around 2,000 people homeless. The affected dwellers, however, claimed that it was a case of arson. Photo: Palash Khan

A devastating fire in September 2013 in a slum in Kamrangirchar destroyed the belongings and savings of its residents. Photos: Star File

A devastating fire in September 2013 in a slum in Kamrangirchar destroyed the belongings and savings of its residents. Photos: Star File