Massive fire guts over 500 shanties in Gazipur’s Tongi
PBC News: More than 500 shanties at a slum in Gazipur’s Tongi were gutted in a devastating fire early Saturday.The blaze broke out at the Majar slum next to the Tongi Sena Kalyan building at about 3:55am.
Being informed, nine fire service units from Tongi, Kurmitola and Uttara rushed to the scene and managed to bring the fire under control around 5:50 am.
Local people claimed that five people sustained minor injuries while rushing out of their houses.
However, the extent of damage caused by the fire could not be ascertained immediately, said Mohammad Manik-Uz-Zaman, assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service and Civil Defense.
Dinmoni Sharma, deputy director of the Dhaka Division Fire Service, said, “During initial investigation, it was learned that the fire originated from a mosquito coil inside a home at the slum.”
“Nearly all the homes had gas cylinders. Because of the heat, the rubber pipes on the cylinders melted and released gas. As a result, the fire spread soon, the official added.
