800 people homeless as Madarbari slum catches fire in port city

Rickshaw-puller Md Abu (55), was wailing as all his belongings were burnt to ashes in a fire at a slum at West Madarbari in the port city early today.

Abu and his 19-year-old daughter managed escape their homes, like several hundred of their neighbours.

“I had arranged Tk 20,000 for my daughter’s marriage and kept the money in the house. I could not retrieve it when the fire started spreading early in the morning,” said Abu.

“It was around 5am when we were asleep… all of a sudden, we heard loud cries outside that there was a fire,” he described the incident, “In a half-asleep state, I caught my daughter's hand and came out of the house.”

A mother feeds her child with drinking water at a slum at West Madarbari in the port city after a fire broke out there on February 3, 2020. Photo: Rajib Raihan

Another victim, Md Hashem (45), a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, said he could only save himself from the fire, and lost all valuables. "I am ruined," he lamented.

Zakeya Begum (50), had also arranged around Tk 3 lakh for her daughter’s marriage and kept the money at home.

“All the money was burnt to ashes with other belongings,” she was wailing, “I wanted to shift [the family] to a better place to marry off my daughter, but my dreams have been shattered.”

Like Abu, Hashem and Zakeya, around 800 people became homeless as 270 shanties were burnt in the fire.

The fire originated around 5:10am in a shanty, and quickly spread to the whole slum. Photo: Rajib Raihan

The fire originated around 5:10am in a shanty, and quickly spread to the whole slum, said Azizul Islam, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Chattogram. On information, 15 fire fighting vehicles rushed to the spot and managed to douse the blaze around 7: 50am, he added.

The cause of the fire could not be known immediately, he said, adding, “We are investigating into the incident.”

15 fire fighting vehicles rushed to the spot and managed to douse the blaze more than two and half hours after it broke out. Photo: Rajib Raihan

Golum Mohammad Jobair, Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) ward councilor in ward-29 (West Madarbari), visited the spot around 11am.

He said no casualty occurred in the fire and relief materials would be distributed to the victims in the afternoon [yesterday].

Jobair, however, said they made a list of 800 people of 148 affected families and every family would be given a blanket and 18 kg of daily essentials.