Dhaka, Nov. 25 -- A devastating fire has been consuming Dhaka's Korail slum for nearly three hours, with Fire Service units struggling to bring it under control.

As of around 8:15pm on Tuesday, numerous homes were still ablaze, flames leaping skyward.

As many as 19 units, along with residents of the area, are attempting to douse the inferno, but the fire has continued to spread across the congested settlement, duty officer Rashed Bin Khalid confirmed.

Witnesses described being stunned as their homes and belongings went up in flames.

Earlier, the Fire Service first received reports of the blaze at 5:22pm and deployed seven units, before bolstering the efforts with nine more units by around 6:30pm, according to officials. By 8pm, three ...