It is unfortunate that, despite the numerous fires that have wreaked havoc on the capital city over the past year or so, we remain ill-prepared when a fire does break out -- the most recent one which has led to another lost life.
The fire, which broke out at a multi-storied residential building in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area on Saturday -- from a supposed short circuit -- could have been an unfortunate accident that was not possible to avoid.
However, what could have been avoided is the tragic loss of yet another life.
It is about time we say that enough is enough, we cannot continue to lose lives because of fires.
The fact that it took almost two hours for the fire to be extinguished since it broke out shows that, despite our firefighters’ best efforts, we require more speed and urgency in responding to fires breaking out.
What is also needed is for Dhaka city to undergo a complete makeover so that its buildings and structure meet the criteria for ensuring proper fire safety.
Earlier this year, experts at a workshop organized by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) stated that the majority of buildings in Dhaka suffer from a fundamental design flaw: The lack of a fire-escape.
This cannot be the norm moving forward.
For Bangladesh to truly develop as a nation, it must prioritize the safety of its citizens and ensuring proper fire safety is one of the cornerstones to ensuring that.
