A fire that broke out in the warehouse of a tissue manufacturing factory in Meghnaghat, Sonargaon upazila, Narayanganj, was brought under control after nearly four hours of frantic efforts, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD). Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector at the FSCD headquarters said that the blaze was brought under control around 9am. Read: Foam factory fire under control in Chattogram Earlier, the fire erupted in the godown of Fresh Tissue Paper around 5:10 am. Upon receiving the information, 19 firefighting units from various stations rushed to the scene, he said adding that the cause of the fire is yet to be known.

A fire that broke out at a foam manufacturing factory near Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Sagorika area of Chattogram city has been brought under control. The blaze started around 4:45 pm and five units from the Fire Service successfully brought the fire under control within half an hour, said Abdul Aziz, a firefighter from the Fire Service and Civil Defence control room. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

A four-member probe committee was formed to look into the fire on the oil tanker MV Sadia Enterprise in the Dakatia River of Chandpur on Sunday that left six crew members injured. Muhammad Lokman, in-charge of Padma Oil Company Depot, said that headed by the company’s DGM Asif Malek, the committee has been asked to submit its report within five working days. At least six crew members were injured when a massive fire broke out on the oil tanker MV Sadia Enterprise around 4:15 pm near Padma Oil Company's jetty in the Dakatia River, following an explosion of a generator in its engine room on Sunday afternoon. Six injured as oil-carrying vessel catches fire in Dakatia River Four units from the local Fire Service and Coast Guard members brought the fire under control around 5:30 pm. According to the company, some 7.5 lakh litres of petrol and diesel were available at the oil tanker.    

Nayamati, a key commercial hub in Narayanganj city, is marked by its narrow lanes, making it difficult for four-wheeled vehicles to navigate. Despite this, the area sees the annual trade of hosiery products worth hundreds of crores. However, these businesses, collectively valued in the thousands of crores, face significant fire hazards. A ground visit revealed that the entire area is ensnared in a tangle of electrical wires. In some spots, the clutter is so thick that the sky is barely visible from the streets. Locals report frequent fires caused by short circuits in these wires, which are typically extinguished using water from buildings on either side. However, in this bustling commercial zone, where every building is packed with fabric, chemicals, and thread, fire service vehicles are unable to reach the scene. "If a major fire were to occur in this area, no one knows how to handle it," said a hosiery businessman. On October 7 at 11pm, a severe fire erupted in Narayanganj's Kali Bazar area caused by an electrical short circuit, resulting in the destruction of 40 shops. Since that incident, fear and anxiety have taken hold of hosiery traders and workers in Nayamati. Read: Workplace Fire Safety: 12 Effective Ways to Prevent Fire Hazards The Bangladesh Hosiery Association reports that there are approximately 8,000 hosiery businesses in Narayanganj, with the majority situated in Nayamati and its vicinity. Data from the Fire Service highlights that Nayamati is at a high risk for fire incidents, despite its crucial role in meeting Bangladesh's domestic clothing needs. Hosiery businessman Abdus Selim stated, "Every market and building here involves transactions worth crores of taka, but there is no safety for our lives. If you monitor closely, you won't find any fire extinguishing equipment or water reserves. Since fire service vehicles cannot access this area in the event of a fire, businesses should take that into consideration." However, no one seems to be concerned about it, Abdus Selim added. He alleged that the City Corporation, Fire Service, and other government agencies are also responsible for this situation. Abeda Parveen, a worker at Rahman Hosiery, stated, "The road we enter frequently catches fire due to the wires. We have to extinguish the flames using water and sand from the buildings. What more can I say about our workplace? If a fire breaks out on the ground floor, there’s no way for us to escape." Read more: Panel formed to prove vessel fire at Ctg port She noted the stark difference between garment factories and hosiery units, explaining, "Garment factories have two staircases and fire extinguishing equipment, while the hosiery units in Nayamati lack these essentials. Are our owners not making enough money? But, they seem to evade scrutiny." She called on the government to address this issue, warning that without intervention, they could face deadly fires. Meanwhile, some local business owners recognized that although the area is highly susceptible to fire hazards, the Fire Service pays little attention here. They pointed out that there have been no substantial efforts from this government agency to establish a safe commercial environment in Nayamati.  When reached for a comment, Fakhruddin Ahmed, Deputy Director of the Narayanganj Fire Service, stated, "Please call me during office hours; I am currently unwell." Read more: Top Strategies to Enhance Fire Resilience in Dhaka City

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has seen rapid and often unplanned urbanisation since independence. The city’s average annual urban growth rate was as high as 8% from 1991 to 2019. The rapid unplanned and unregulated urban expansion has continued to date. As Dhaka is expanding in terms of physical dimension, population, and structural density, the city suffers from diverse problems like water crises, drainage problems after heavy rains, poor solid waste disposal, inadequate infrastructure, fire accidents, etc. In recent years recurrent fire hazards have claimed many lives and destroyed valuable properties in Dhaka metropolitan areas. Let’s look at the existing fire safety regulations, and necessary recommendations to prevent fire hazards and mitigate losses in Dhaka city.   Rules and Regulations Regarding Fire Safety in Dhaka City  The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) have enacted several laws regarding fire safety such as Building Construction Rules 1996, Bangladesh National Building Code 2006, The Fire Prevention and Extinction Act, 2003, and The Fire Prevention and Extinction Rules, 2014.  According to section 4 of the Fire Prevention and Extinction Act 2003, it is mandatory to obtain a licence from the Directorate General of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense Authority (BFSCDA) to use any building as a warehouse or workshop. Section 7 of the Act necessitates the permission of the BFSCDA DG during the approval process of the structural design or layout of a multi-storied commercial building.  The Fire Protection Act 2003 requires all buildings, including high-rises and commercial establishments to take necessary public security measures including storing sufficient fire-fighting equipment, breathing apparatus, etc.  Rule 22 of the Fire Prevention and Extinction Rules 2014 states that an owner has to apply for an occupancy certificate of the building at the end of the construction.  Rule 17(1) of the Building Construction Rules 1996 requires public safety measures, such as fire alarms, emergency exits, installation of fire extinguishers, etc.  The building code prohibits the construction of any building over six stories without an elevator with a standby generator. Moreover, any high-rise structure with 10 stories or higher should have elevators spacious enough to carry patients on stretchers.  Read more: Organizational strategies to minimize earthquake damages in Dhaka City Why is Dhaka Prone to Fire Disasters?    Dhaka experienced several disastrous fire hazards, such as Nimtoli, Churihatta, FR Tower, Armanitola, New Market, Moghbazar, Bangabazar Market, Bailey Road, etc. Besides these major fire accidents, many small to medium-scale fire hazards have occurred in the residential and commercial buildings of the city in recent years. Now the question arises as to why Dhaka is prone to fire disasters.  Limitations in Legal Framework and Limited Institutional Capacity Bangladesh’s existing legal provisions regarding fire safety are limited and need to be modified. The fire prevention acts, rules, and regulations are not properly implemented in Dhaka city.  Currently, BFSCDA is working as an emergency service-providing organisation with limited involvement in the planning decision.  The number of fire stations and fire service providers in Dhaka city is still inadequate. Furthermore, long-distance travelling by firefighters hamper the timely provision of support to fire-affected areas in many cases.   The city authorities such as Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), City Corporations, etc. are also characterised by weak institutional capacity.  In the process of getting approval for the building plan, the building owners collect the licence. However, there is a lack of proper monitoring from the authorities over the implementation of the fire prevention arrangements and public safety conditions. At present, many buildings are being constructed in Dhaka without fire licences or even planning permissions from RAJUK.  The city authorities need adequate numbers of town planners and fire safety professionals to serve the Dhaka Metropolitan Area inhabited by about 23.9 million people.  Read more: What Can Dhaka Learn from the Smart City Singapore Unplanned Development Dhaka city is growing in an unplanned manner. In different areas of the city high rise structures are being built within the old building blocks. Most of these buildings lack essential arrangements for safeguarding people from fire hazards initiated by electric short circuits, gas cylinder explosions, etc.  The narrow road systems obstruct the entrance, movement and manoeuvre of fire service vehicles at the time of emergency. The low vehicle mobility on the road system due to traffic gridlock increases the response time of the fire service leading to serious destruction from minor fire incidents.  The existence of water retention ponds, lakes, and natural reservoirs is gradually decreasing in different areas of Dhaka city due to excessive population pressure, and unplanned urbanisation. Many water bodies and open spaces are being encroached upon by unauthorised uses and getting filled up for the construction of buildings. During fire hazards, the fire service providers often face scarcity of water due to lack of street fire hydrant arrangement and unavailability of natural water sources at nearby locations.  Besides these, proper land use zoning is yet to be implemented in Dhaka City. The intermixing of residential, commercial, and industrial uses in the same location increases the risk of fire occurrences.  Furthermore, in many areas of Dhaka, FAR rules are not maintained properly which makes the city more disaster-prone.  Read more: A city of fire traps: Decades of tragedies in Dhaka expose systemic failures Some Recommendations to Mitigate Fire Hazards in Dhaka City Fire hazard prevention measures are multi-dimensional. It requires a proper combination of the strong legal and administrative framework, adequate funding, organised institutional capacities, advanced technologies, trained manpower, information dissemination, etc. Let’s look at how to enhance the resilience of Dhaka city from some key perspectives. Raising Public Awareness  Public awareness can minimise the risk of fire incidences and the associated destruction of lives and properties.  During a fire hazard, people usually become very worried and confused. As a result, many people fail to make appropriate decisions to escape from fire. This causes the loss of lives.  Electric short circuits, burners, gas cylinder explosions, etc are the major causes of fire hazards in Dhaka City. Information sharing regarding the causes and preventive measures of fire hazards can raise awareness among city dwellers.  Though some individual buildings have fire fighting equipment, they are inadequate in number. In many cases, the fire safety equipment is located in isolated places and people hardly know how to use it. As a result, the safety equipment can’t provide any benefit at the time of a fire emergency.  In many cases, during fire hazards, curious crowds block the roads, as a result, the firefighting vehicles take longer times to reach the target locations during the time of response. 

Thousands of villagers on Tuesday clashed with law enforcers as the public demanded the arrests of the accused involved in the brutal deaths of two construction workers in a mob beating following a fire at a temple in Madhukhali upazila of Faridpur last Thursday (April 18, 2024) night. Some members of the law enforcing agencies and villagers were injured in the clash that lasted for around three hours on Dhaka-Khulna highway but the exact number of the injured could not be ascertained. One of the injured was sent to Bangabandhu Sheik Mujib Medical College Hospital in the district due to critical condition, confirmed Madhukhali police station’s Officer-in-Charge Miraj Hossain. Witnesses said thousands of villagers formed a human demanding arrest of the accused on Dhaka-Khulna highway in Madhukhali Sadar in the morning and later brought out a protest procession which started heading towards Dumain Panchapalli where the lynching occurred last Thursday. Read more: HC directs judicial inquiry to identify those responsible for topsoil depletion in Satkania Being barred from the law enforcers, the villagers became angry over the matter and started hurling brickbats targeting the enforcers, resulting in a chase and counter-chase for the three hours. Due to the clash, hundreds of vehicles got stuck on both sides of the road, causing immense suffering amid the scorching heat. Deputy Commissioner Md Qamrul Ahsan Talukder said he tried to assuage the agitated villagers but they didn’t pay heed to it. “On behalf of the administration, we will consider the demand for which you are agitating with utmost importance. But the protesters did not respond to the administration's call and continued their programme,” he said. Additional superintendent of police Md Imdad Hossain said following the Panchapalli incident, protesters tried to block the road from Madhukhali Sadar to Kamarkhali, while police tried to disperse them by firing tear gas and blank bullets at some places. “We completely cleared the road by 3 pm. Vehicular movement is now normal,” the police officer said. Read more: Money Embezzlement Case: HC issues rule on bail of Major Mannan and 6 others

A fire that broke out on the "MV Bangali" launch in Dhaka’s Shyambar Launch Terminal was brought under control on Tuesday. Five firefighting units brought the fire under control at 1:45 pm on Tuesday, said Talha Bin Zasim Station Officer of FSCD headquarters media cell. Earlier, the fire broke out at 12:55 pm. No passengers were on the launch at the time of the fire, added the fire official.

At least 10 people including women and children were injured as a Dhaka-bound launch from Bhola, the Karnafuli-3, caught fire in the middle of the Meghna river in Majherchar area in Chandpur's Haimchar on Saturday (April 20, 2024). Md Shahadat Hossain, deputy director of Chandpur BIWTA, said the fire broke out around 11:30am due to a technical glitch. At the time, 10 people were injured in the launch fire incident as they panicked and jumped into the river, he added. The stranded passengers of Karnaphuli-3 were being taken to Dhaka through Karnaphuli-4 launch. Read more: Banani slum fire under control On information, our investigation team along with the fire service rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control, he added. However, the reason behind the fire could not be known immediately. The injured were treated locally. Meanwhile, senior police officers of Naval Police Chandpur region visited the spot soon after the incident, added the officer. Read more: TK Group’s super board manufacturing factory catches fire in Munshiganj

The fire which broke out at Godown slum in Dhaka’s Banani area has been brought under control. The fire started at the slum around 4:05 pm on Sunday and engulfed it, said Talha bin Jasim, station officer of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD). TK Group’s super board manufacturing factory catches fire in Munshiganj On information, six firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control around 5:33 pm. A team of Bangladesh Army also joined with the fire service teams, said a press release of ISPR. Fire in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar; chemical warehouse burnt down However, the origin of the fire and extent of damages could not be ascertained yet.

A fire broke out in a super board manufacturing factory of TK Group in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj on Sunday (March 24, 2024) afternoon. Talhan Bin Zasim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD-media cell) headquarters, said the fire began in the board factory in Jamaldi area around 1: 10 pm. Read more: Fire at 18-storey building in Dhaka’s Gulshan doused On information, ten firefighting units rushed to the spot and were trying to tame the flame, he said. The origin of the fire could not be known immediately, he added. Read more: Fire in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar; chemical warehouse burnt down