Korail slum fire brought under control after 1.5hrs

Firefighters brought the fire that broke out in Dhaka's Korail slum this evening under control after around one and a half hours. 

Ten fire engines brought the blaze under control around 5:30pm, a duty officer of fire service control room told The Daily Star.

The fire originated at the Banani portion of the massive slum around 4:05pm, the duty officer said. 

Our correspondent at the spot said around 200 shanties have so far been burnt down, and residents dismantled more than 200 shanties nearby to arrest the spread of the fire.

Slum dwellers said many belongings were looted in the confusion following the fire.  

A video circulated on social media shows that the raging fire was burning down shanties one after another while many slum residents were trying to take their belongings to safety.