A fire that broke out at Karail slum in Mohakhali area of the capital Sunday afternoon has been doused, officials said. The fire started at 4:30 pm and spread soon, said Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters. “Nine fire tending units were pressed into service and it took them an hour to contain the flames,” he said. "The firemen doused the flames completely around 6:40pm," he added. No casualties were reported. "The origin of the fire will be known after a probe," the officer said.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has said the fire and explosion at BM Container Depot illustrates the urgent need to ensure proper handling and storage of chemicals. The incident also illustrates the urgent need to ensure proper training for storage facility staff at awareness and operational levels, and effective crowd control during an emergency incident, it said in a statement on Monday.  Additionally, the UN agency said, the incident underscores the need for an effective industrial and enterprise safety framework and enforcement and training system to ensure a structured approach to mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to all hazards. This will require improved collaboration and partnership between government departments, employers and workers representatives, and civil society, it said on Monday. Read: Operation to douse Ctg depot fire continues; Death toll stands at 50 The ILO says it is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life of at least 50 people including nine fire services professionals from a fire and explosion at BM Container Depot in Chattogram on June 4. “We extend our heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the families of the injured and deceased.” Tackling this problem calls for action in a number of areas, says ILO, adding that, “These include a review of regulations and enforcement in the transport and logistics sector, the payment of adequate compensation and income support to injured and disabled workers and families of workers who lost lives in work-related accidents, and to conduct safety campaigns that target transport/logistic service providers as well as emergency-service personnel.” Recently the government, employer and worker representatives have agreed to roll out a modern, comprehensive Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) in Bangladesh starting from the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, with the possibility of extension to other sectors. Such a system includes accident prevention, immediate and long-term compensation, and rehabilitation to return to work. Read: Chinese ambassador Li visits Bhasan Char The ILO continues to work closely with the government of Bangladesh, employers’ and workers’ organisations and development partners to improve working conditions in all industries expanding learning from the ready-made garment RMG industry since the Rana Plaza tragedy in April 2013.   Proper monitoring of industries by government to ensure that industrial and accidental risks are properly understood, addressed and prevented is essential to improving safe working conditions in Bangladesh, said ILO. ILO and the broader UN system in Bangladesh hoped that this tragic accident will drive all parties involved to apply renewed vigour in addressing the safety deficits in workplaces across the country and we extend our assistance to continue to build safer Bangladesh for all.

Four thatched houses and three adjacent commercial establishments were gutted in a fire that broke out in the city's Hazaribagh area in the early hours of Thursday. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The blaze began around 3am in one of the houses in Jhauchar Beribadh and soon engulfed two houses, a rickshaw garage, a hotel and a metal scrap shop in the vicinity, said Ershad Hossain, duty officer at Fire Service and Civil Defense Control Room. As many as six fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was contained around 3.45 am. "The fire was fully doused around 4.30am," he added. Also read: Container fire at Kamalapur Railway Station under control Fire officials suspect that an electrical short-circuit triggered the fire. "Anyway, a probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of damage," the officer said. Also read: Fire at Sylhet hawkers' market doused

A fire broke out at a slum in the Agrabad DT area of Chattogram port city early on Saturday, officials said. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The blaze started around 4 am at the slum and spread soon, said Faruk Hossain Shikder, assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service. Also read: 4 of a family suffer burn injuries in Narayanganj fire On information, six fire tenders rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze around 6 am. Also read: Rayerbagh coil factory fire under control A probe will ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of damage, the official said.  

More than 200 shanties were gutted in a massive fire that broke out at a slum along the busy Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the Tongi area of Gazipur district early on Saturday. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. But hundreds of people have been rendered homeless. Mohammad Manik-Uz-Zaman, assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service and Civil Defense, said that the fire broke out around 4 am at a shack in Mazar slum in Tongi before engulfing other shanties. Hearing the screams, all slum dwellers could managed to come out of their houses but the fire destroyed all their belongings. "Nine fire tenders were pressed into service but it took them over two hours to douse the flames. However, it is still not clear what caused the fire," the fire officer said. Local people claimed that five people sustained minor injuries while rushing out of their houses. "However, the extent of damage caused by the fire could not be ascertained immediately," the officer said. Local ward councillor Giasuddin said that food assistance would be provided to the victims at the slum.  Read: Narayanjganj fire: One succumbs to burn injuries, two battling for lives

The number of fire incidents in Bangladesh has increased four times over the last two decades as the country’s urban areas are expanding without basic infrastructure like fire stations. According to data provided by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 285,000 fires occurred in the country between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2020. These fire incidents also caused an estimated financial loss of around Tk6,900 crore to the nation. Besides, at least 2,308 people were killed in fires across the country between 2004 and 2020, the fire service data shows. The year 2019 saw the highest number of 24,074 fire incidents while 2020 the second highest of 21,073. Urban experts attributed the rise in fire incidents to unplanned urbanization, the violation of rules for constructing buildings, a pervasive culture of non-enforcement of the law, carelessness of people, increased use of gas cylinders and different electronic devices and lack of supervision by the authorities concerned. They also said people in the capital and other major cities of the country are at the high risk of fires for lack of proper urban fire safety systems. Read: Fire incidents in Bangladesh triple in 22 years The experts suggested taking immediate initiatives to ensure safety compliance of city buildings like the garment factories and raising public awareness to significantly reduce the number of fires. Three major causes As per the statistics of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 99,752 fires occurred in the country between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020. Of them, 71,684 or over 71 percent of fires originated from electric disturbances, different types of burners and burning cigarettes in the last five years. Of the total incidents, 37,044 (37 percent) originated from electric disturbances while 19,124 (19.17 percent) from different types of burners and 15,536 (15.57 percent) from burning cigarettes. Contacted, Prof Mehedi Ahmed Ansari of the Civil Engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said electric short-circuit is the main reason behind the rise in fire incidents in urban areas as most buildings are not constructed maintaining the building code. He said other reasons for the fire are associated with people’s lack of awareness. “An effective campaign to raise public awareness in this regard should be launched across the country.” Read: Padma boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 4 The expert said electric equipment should be inspected periodically to reduce the chances of fire.