A devastating fire destroys a crowded slum and leaves thousands homeless in Bangladesh capital

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A devastating fire in a crowded slum int the heart of Bangladesh’s capital has destroyed 1,500 shanties, leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Wednesday.

No casualties have been reported.

The blaze, which began Tuesday evening at the massive Korail slum in Dhaka, was doused Wednesday after 16 hours, said Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The fire service’s director, Lt. Col. Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, said about 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged in the blaze and thousands remained homeless.

According to official data, about 60,000 families — many of them climate refugees — live in the slum which has an area of more than 160 acres (65 hectares). The slum straddles Dhaka’s upscale Gulshan and Banani neighborhoods, and it is surrounded by clusters of high-rise apartment and office buildings.

Heavy smoke blanketed the area as flames engulfed the dwellings overnight.

On Wednesday, the residents who lost their homes were desperate to collect their valuables as they scoured the debris.

The firefighters said they struggled to reach the area because of narrows alleys.

Dhaka, a city of 10.2 million as of 2024, has hundreds of slums where people from rural Bangladesh migrate to because of poverty and exploitation. Climate-induced disasters also push them to the city slums, where they live on daily labor such as driving rickshaws and working as housemaids and cleaners.