A fire broke out at a slum in the capital's Tejgaon industrial area on Sunday, burning down around 50 shanties.
The blaze erupted at around 12:05pm when an eviction drive was being conducted, said Inspector Shakhawat of the Tajgaon Fire Station and Civil Defense.
"Police informed us of the incident and four firefighting units -- one from Tajgaon fire station and three from its headquarters -- managed to douse the flames at 1:10pm," he told The FE.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the loss were yet to be ascertained, the fire official added.
Ismail (30), a slum dweller, who hails from Munshiganj district, told this correspondent that he along with his five-member family was evicted from the slum.
The fire ripped through the shanties at the moment when the police were forcing the slum people out of their dwellings, he said.
He also suspected that the police might have torched the shanties.
Laily (40), who was living in the slum along with her four-member family, hailing from Gaibandha district, told the FE that the authorities did not give her enough time to remove her belongings.
Accusing the police of staring the fire at the slum, she said some of her belongings got damaged during the drive.
Jesmin (12), a garments worker, told the FE that she was injured when the fire broke out.
Some of her belongings were destroyed in the fire, she claimed, saying the authorities did not give her enough time to shift her belongings.
She was uncertain where to live now in the city, after losing all what she had.
However, it was yet to be confirmed which agencies conducted the eviction drive.
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