Chattogram, April 15 -- At least 20 slum houses were burnt down after a fire broke out at the CRB Malipara slum of Kotwali Police Station in Chattogram early Tuesday.

Five firefighting units brought the fire under control after an hour-long effort after the fire broke out around 5:30am, said Khalilur Rahman, senior station officer of Agrabad Fire Service

Upon receiving the news, several fire service vehicles rushed to the spot. However, they faced extreme difficulty reaching the main fire point due to the congested nature of the area, he said.

Since most of the slum dwellers were asleep at the time, they could not manage to salvage any furniture from their homes, the fire official also said.

The fire might have originated from a gas c...