Devastating fire leaves thousands homeless in Dhaka’s Korail shantytown
JohnChat
It took 16 hours to douse the fire, which burned or damaged 1,500 shanties.
Flames engulf shanties after a fire broke out in Korail, one of Bangladesh’s largest and most crowded shantytowns, in Dhaka. [Kazi Salahuddin/Reuters]A devastating fire swept through Dhaka’s sprawling Korail shantytown, destroying or damaging some 1,500 shanties and reducing tin-roofed dwellings to smouldering ruins, officials reported.
The inferno, which erupted on Tuesday evening, required 16 hours to extinguish, according to Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the fire department.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, the fire service’s director, confirmed approximately 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged, leaving thousands without shelter.
Official records indicate about 60,000 families — many displaced by climate disasters — inhabit this 65-hectare (160-acre) shantytown. Korail sits adjacent to Dhaka’s affluent Gulshan and Banani districts, surrounded by modern high-rise developments.
Dense smoke enveloped the area as flames consumed dwellings throughout the night.
By Wednesday, displaced residents desperately sifted through debris, attempting to salvage their belongings.
Firefighters reported difficulty accessing the blaze due to the area’s narrow pathways.
Dhaka, home to 10.2 million people as of 2024, contains hundreds of informal settlements populated by rural migrants fleeing poverty, exploitation, and climate-related calamities. Those living there typically survive on daily wages earned as rickshaw drivers, housemaids, and cleaners.
The blaze started shortly after sunset in the heart of the capital, in Korail — one of Bangladesh’s largest and most crowded shantytowns. [Rajib Dhar/AP Photo]Home to nearly 80,000 people, the settlement sits wedged between the affluent Gulshan and Banani neighbourhoods and is flanked by clusters of upscale apartment towers. Orange flames rose into the night sky, and heavy smoke blanketed the area as people fled with whatever belongings they could carry. [Rajib Dhar/AP Photo]At least 19 fire engines were sent to tackle the inferno, fire service official Talha Bin Zasim said. [Rajib Dhar/AP Photo]“Heavy traffic slowed our arrival, and once inside, the narrow lanes forced us to leave the engines at a distance,” Zasim said. Firefighters dragged long hoses through the cramped alleys and scrambled to secure enough water, battling for more than five hours before the flames were finally brought under control. The cause of the fire remains unclear. [Monirul Alam/EPA]A woman searches the debris of her burned house. [Monirul Alam/EPA]There were no immediate reports of casualties, but residents said the destruction was near total. “Everything I had is gone. How will I survive now?” said Amena Begum, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at the charred remains of her home. [Monirul Alam/EPA]People eat as they sit at a burned house. [Monirul Alam/EPA]Lax regulations and poor enforcement have often been blamed for large fires in the South Asian nation that have killed hundreds of people in recent years. [Monirul Alam/EPA]Korail shantytown, engulfed in a fire. [Rajib Dhar/AP Photo]
