Sheer negligence on the part of the authorities concerned and absence of coordination among the responsible government organizations, and a lack of awareness among people are behind the recurrent fire incidents, causing deaths and huge financial burdens for those affected.
The authorities are quick to speak of remedial measures and take short-term initiatives after every major incident, but the steps falter in next to no time.
At least 25 people, including two women, were killed and more than 100 sustained injuries in the explosion that rattled a seven-storey building in the capital's Siddiqbazar area on March 7. Later, four fire incidents were reported from various places in Dhaka, including a slum and shops, on March 27-28.
Yesterday, the Bangabazar wholesale cloth market in Old Dhaka saw a devastating fire that engulfed over 5,000 shops, causing a loss of about Tk700 crore, as claimed by traders. Officials said the market was declared dangerous in 2019 and signboards were put up as a result. The Fire Service also sent 10 warning notices afterwards.
According to the Fire Service Headquarters, Dhaka is becoming more and more dangerous due to the recurrent incidents of fire. It says there are risky buildings in Gulistan, Fakirapool, Arambagh, Lalbagh, Chawkbazar, Old Dhaka and Dhanmondi.
The total number of fire incidents across the country during the period January 1 to December 31 in 2022 is alarming: a whopping 24,102 incidents.
Among these, the highest, 9,275 fires, occurred due to electric short circuit. There were 3,368 stove fires, most of which were from gas and electric stoves. On the other hand, 795 fires originated in gas supply lines, and 94 were caused by cylinder and boiler explosions, Fire Service sources said.
On the other hand, 4,007 fire incidents were reported across the country from January 1 to March 11 this year. Dhaka experienced three massive fires in March. Fire Service officials have blamed gas leakage and electricity short circuit for most of the incidents.
In the incidents that took place in Dhaka, the names of three government organizations came to the fore: Fire Service, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company as also the city corporations.
Causes
On March 28, a shop named Rajbhog Sweets in Madhya Badda caught fire due to an electrical short circuit. A day earlier, another fire had broken out on the fifth floor of a nine-storey building adjacent to the Kataban Bata Signal.
The same day, the Fire Service received information about a fire in the Sattola Bosti of Mohakhali and in the Sweeper Colony next to the Joykali Temple near Kaptanbazar in the capital. Some parts of the Mayor Hanif Flyover were damaged in the fire.
The Mohakhali slum fire came under control after about one and a half hours of efforts. Regarding the cause of the fire, Deputy Director (Dhaka Division) of Fire Service Dinmoni Sharma said: “Initially, we found out that the fire started from a gas stove.”
Regarding the outbreak of fire in the Sweeper Colony, Fire Service (Operations) Director Lt Col Tajul Islam Chowdhury said: “The people of the colony are saying that there is a gas line below the ground and that a leakage caused the fire. But we're not sure yet. An investigation committee has been formed to find out the cause of the fire.”
Investigation into the Gulistan fire has found that accumulated gas under the building named Pouro Bhaban caused the massive blast.
Just two days before this incident, on March 5, an explosion occurred in a commercial building in the Science Laboratory area of Dhanmondi. Six people, including pedestrians, died as a result of the blast.
The bomb disposal team of the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of the police said that the explosion occurred due to a leakage in the sewage line or gas line.
On February 19, a massive fire engulfed a high-rise building in upscale Gulshan and people died after jumping off the building in panic.
Fire officials say it took much time to douse the fire due to the crowd on the street and the lack of water sources. Moreover, the building had no skilled person to deal with such a situation though it had fire safety measures in place.
What the authorities say
Lt Col Tajul Islam Chowdhury of the Fire Service said that one of the reasons for the fire accidents is the non-observance of “fire safety plans”.
“We provide a fire safety plan whenever a multi-storey building is constructed. Then we examine the issue and implement this plan. But those who are not taking this safety plan into account are not following this process.
“Most of the fires in Dhaka take place in buildings or structures that were built without following the plan.”
Regarding fire incidents due to gas line leakages, he said most of Dhaka's pipelines are underground. This is why the lines are not checked on time.
“As a result, the lines have not been checked for a long time and are leaking at various points. Negligence in checking the lines regularly is to be blamed for the fires and explosions,” the official said.
Rajuk's argument
Blamed for most of the recent fire incidents in Dhaka, Rajuk intensified monitoring activities in April. A five-member committee has been formed to ensure that buildings are constructed in compliance with the Building Code.
A senior official of Rajuk's urban planning wing, who did not wish to be named, said that after the recent fires, questions were raised about the approval of the building designs and compliance. The two city corporations, Fire Service, Titas and the electricity supply companies are also responsible.
“Before the construction of a building, Rajuk only approves the structural drawings, signed by a civil engineer. But it does not seek the structural design of the building and does not have the capacity and expertise to check whether or not the Building Code is being followed,” the official said, acknowledging that Rajuk has some internal problems of its own.
He further said: “There is also a lack of coordination among the related departments of the government. If these departments work in coordination like Rajuk, then any loophole can be identified and addressed accordingly.”
