A devastating fire broke out in a slum near EM Bypass in Topsia today, ahead of Christmas, destroying around 100 shanties. On Friday morning, a massive fire erupted in the slum. Within moments, the fire engulfed a large area. Upon receiving the news, the fire brigade rushed to the spot. Currently, 20 fire engines are working to control the blaze.
Additionally, officers from Pragati Maidan police station are present at the scene. The congested area has made it difficult for the fire brigade to bring the fire under control. Local residents reported that the fire broke out suddenly around 12 p.m. Initially, it is suspected that a gas cylinder explosion caused the incident.
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The presence of flammable materials in the slum area caused the fire to spread rapidly. The towering flames also sparked panic in neighboring highrise buildings. Multiple cylinder explosion sounds have been heard from the slum. Many shanties have been reduced to ashes. Twenty fire engines have arrived at the scene, along with the police from Pragati Maidan station. Due to the congested area, it was feared the fire would spread rapidly. It is suspected that many people are still trapped in the slum, and efforts are ongoing by the fire brigade and police to rescue them. According to local sources, the fire started around 12:30 p.m. The sky was soon covered in thick black smoke. The location of the fire is adjacent to a high-rise building.
The presence of flammable materials in the slum raises concerns about the fire spreading quickly. Loud explosion sounds have been heard from several shanties, believed to be caused by cylinder blasts. At least a hundred shanties have been burned to ashes. Samsul Haque, a resident of the slum, said: “The fire spread very quickly, and there were deafening noises everywhere. The flames and smoke could be seen from a great distance.” Another resident, Nazia Begum, said: “I was lying down with my son when I suddenly heard screams.
When I went outside, I saw our roof engulfed in flames. Somehow, I managed to get out with my son. I couldn’t take anything important with me.” Another resident said: “The only thing I saved was the clothes I was wearing. Everything else has been destroyed.” Before the fire brigade arrived, local residents started dousing the flames with water from a nearby canal. However, they expressed anger at the delay in the fire brigade’s arrival. A local resident said: “The fire had spread so much that it couldn’t be put out with bucketfuls of water. The fire brigade arrived very late.”
Sudip Patra, Vice President of the Asian Human Rights Society, a city-based civil rights organisation, said that one after another slum is being gutted in the city, and helpless people are losing their shelters. “It requires a comprehensive inspection by the KMC and both the fire department and adequate measures to implement fire safety norms in slums,” said Mr. Sudip Patra.
