Ensuring fire safety should be a national priority

It is a matter of deep concern that fire incidents in Bangladesh have increased four times over the last two decades. According to data provided by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 285,000 incidents of fire took place in the country between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2020, causing an estimated financial loss of around Tk 6,900 crore. The data also shows that between 2004 and 2020, fire accidents killed at least 2,308 people.

The highest number of fire incidents in one year occurred in 2019—24,074 to be exact. The second highest number of fire incidents—21,073—occurred as recently as 2020. That the two highest numbers of fire incidents occurred in the last three years shows that they have been increasing alarmingly. Experts have attributed this rise to unplanned urbanisation, violation of building construction rules, a culture of non-enforcement of the law, carelessness, increased use of gas cylinders and different electronic devices, and lack of supervision by the authorities concerned.

As per the statistics, between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020, 71,684 or over 71 percent of fires originated from electric disturbances, various types of burners, and burning cigarettes. According to one expert from the Department of Civil Engineering at Buet, electric short-circuit has been the main reason behind the rise in fire incidents. Unfortunately, in a study that was done a few years ago, it was discovered that most high-rises in Dhaka and other cities were without fire safety measures, primarily as they were constructed flouting the building code. And despite numerous sensational cases where hundreds of lives were unnecessarily lost—because of a host of irregularities on the building owners' part—from fires, we have seen the authorities take very little action to ensure fire safety in buildings across Dhaka and other major cities.

To reduce the number of fire incidents, the authorities have to significantly change their attitudes towards such disasters. Rajuk, which is responsible for implementing building codes in Dhaka, has to be equipped with adequate and quality human resources. It also has to be held accountable for failing to ensure that all buildings adhere to fire safety regulations. The authorities must strictly enforce fire safety standards in all buildings, as well as launch awareness and training campaigns to make sure that people are aware of what to do in case of any fire emergencies. Moreover, including fire safety issues in the national curricula could also be a good idea.