Massive Fire in Dhaka Slum Leaves Hundreds of Families Displaced Amid Narrow Lanes & Traffic Delays
A major fire erupted on the evening of Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in the densely populated Korail slum in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, destroying approximately 1,500 tin-roofed shanties and displacing thousands of residents, according to fire-service officials.
Firefighters, deploying no fewer than 19 engines, battled the blaze for more than five hours. Their efforts were severely hampered by two major obstacles: heavy traffic that delayed arrival and the narrow, labyrinthine alleys within the slum that forced crews to leave engines outside and drag hoses by hand.
While no casualties have been reported so far, the destruction is near complete in large parts of the settlement. The fire service’s director, Lt. Col. Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, confirmed that many families — including climate migrants and low-income laborers — have lost their only homes.
Local media say the slum is home to tens of thousands of people, many of whom work as daily labourers, rickshaw drivers, housemaids or cleaners. With their shelters gone and possessions reduced to rubble, displaced residents have started sifting through the debris for whatever belongings they can salvage.
The fire has reignited long-standing concerns over Bangladesh’s slum safety, informal housing standards, and inadequate urban planning — which activists say leave millions vulnerable to disasters. Previous fires in the city’s crowded settlements have caused large-scale displacement and, in some cases, high death tolls.
For now, relief efforts are being mobilized; community groups and aid agencies are reportedly working to provide temporary shelter and basic necessities. But for many, the road ahead is uncertain — made harder by the loss of their homes and the lack of formal safety nets.
