Bangladesh witnesses 8,461 residential fires in 2018

Bangladesh witnessed 8,461 incidents of fire at residential buildings in 2018 with most of them occurring in Dhaka Division, according to a report.

These fires inflicted financial losses amounting to Tk 5.25 billion, Dataful, an online database, reported citing the fire service.

A quarter of these fires - 2,088 - were reported in Dhaka Division while the least - 194 - took place in Sylhet Division.

Thirty-nine per cent of the total reported fire incidents across the country were sparked by electric short-circuits, a data journalism initiative, reported.

Nineteen per cent of the fire incidents were caused by gas and fifteen per cent from cigarette buds, said the report.

The finding is alarming, and yet unsurprising, since about 66 per cent buildings in the capital city and its adjoining areas under Rajuk have been constructed in an unplanned way.

Many of these buildings do not have approval while some others flouted their approved designs.

Casualties and damage are often high as most buildings do not have adequate fire-fighting measures, reports UNB.

A fire in Old Dhaka in February killed 70 people. Last week, a blaze at Banani's FR Tower left 26 people dead while the fire at DNCC market saw many shops being burned to the ground.

These incidents exposed the grim reality, urban planners say, urging the government to strengthen its agencies concerned and form a committee to work on fire safety.

They also recommended stopping construction of risky buildings and retrofitting or removing the risky ones.