Kushtia, Dec. 27 -- Four poor families living beside the railway line in Kumarkhali were left homeless after a fire gutted their tin-shed houses late Friday night, destroying homes, livestock and means of livelihood.

"I will not lie. After my two sons died, people gave me clothes, blankets, sarees and a bed. Everything has burned. Now I have nothing left. If only I could put up a few tin sheets, I could stay somewhere with my grandson," said Zahura Khatun, an elderly woman, breaking down in tears on Saturday afternoon.

Zahura, the widow of Kiamuddin Sheikh, lived in the Sherkandi area of Ward No. 6 under Kumarkhali municipality along the Kushtia-Rajbari railway line.

Her tin-shed house caught fire late Friday night, burning the house a...