Chattogram Correspondent:

A fire has burnt down nearly 200 homes at the Tekpara and Yakub Nagar slums in Chattogram’s Firingee Bazar.

The fire started at 1:20pm, said Abdur Razzak, Fire Service deputy assistant director for the Chattogram Region. It was brought under control around 2:15pm. Efforts are now underway to extinguish the flames.

“Firefighters from the Nandankanan, Lamarbazar, Chandanpura, and Agrabad fire stations are working to extinguish the fire,” Razzak said. “Nine units from the four stations were able to bring the blaze under control. Now they are attempting to extinguish it.”

The Fire Service and local representatives have yet to confirm the cause of the fire.

A trail of black smoke rising from the slum next to Mariner’s Road in Firingee Bazar could be seen from quite a distance.

“We rushed to the spot when we heard of the fire,” said Hassan Murad Biplob, councillor for the Firingee Bazar ward. “Thanks to support from locals, the fire was brought under control. The Tekpara slum and Yakub Nagar slum have several homes in the back. That is where the fire started.”

“I have spoken with the honourable mayor, the deputy commissioner and the Awami League general secretary of the Chattogram Metropolitan unit. They asked us to compile a list of the people who suffered damages. Food will be arranged for those families who were affected. Their compensation will be looked into.”

Though they do not have the full list, nearly 200 homes have been burnt, said Councillor Murad.

The Tekpara slum is next to the Mariam Bibi canal near the Karnaphuli River. Most of the tin houses in the slum have burnt down.

Locals say the slum homes use gas cylinders, but the locals were able to remove them from the area when the fire started.

No casualties have been reported from the fire as of 2:45pm.

Locals believe the fire may have started from an electrical short circuit.