Incidents of fire in Bangladesh have leapt up in recent years, and there is little doubt that it is among the issues that need the most urgent intervention. According to data by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the number of fire incidents increased four times over the last two decades. This is shocking, and paints a grim picture of just how poor we have been when it comes to ensuring fire safety.
Between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2020, approximately 285,000 fires have been recorded across the country, causing an estimated financial loss of Tk6,900 crores. In a shorter span of time -- from 2004 to 2020 -- 2,308 people died in fires.
There have been a plethora of causes identified by experts behind the rising incidents of fires, but it eventually points to the violations of building-construction regulations, sheer disregard and carelessness, and consistent absence of enforcement of the law that allows the culprits to get away with literal murder every time.
It goes without saying that the infrastructure problem only exacerbates any fire hazard. The traffic congestion in Dhaka, for example, has a fatal impact, as it almost guarantees that the fire department will not be able to respond when needed.
What is required are sustained public awareness campaigns, accompanied by heavy enforcement of fire safety compliance, to ensure that all high-rises, factories, or places of work have the minimum safety measures in place. Moreover, this culture of negligence and impunity must be erased, and those who keep getting away with murder must be brought to book.
If immediate steps are not taken, then destruction by fire will only continue to rise.