The number of fire incidents continued to rise across the country over the last two decades, causing extensive damage to properties and claiming many lives.
According to the official data, the extent of property damage caused due to fire incidents witnessed an upward trend since 1998 while number of casualties caused by fire witnessed both ups and downs in between 2006 and 2018.
A total of 1,762 people were killed and 10,625 others wounded in fire during the period between 2006 and 2018, according to the data available with Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (BFSCD).
Electric short circuit, fire from burners, ignited cigarette butts and burning ashes were cited as major causes of fire, according to fire department.
The data showed that some 5,376 fire incidents took place in 1996 while it stood at 17,488 in 2018.
A total of 253,048 fire incidents occurred from 1996 to 2018, causing a loss of property worth about Tk 64.23 billion.
In 1996, the loss of property was estimated at Tk 633.9 million while it jumped to nearly Tk 2.57 billion in 2018, the data showed.
Besides, fire department was able to save properties worth nearly Tk 210.88 billion from 1996 to 2018.
The country witnessed as many as 19,642 fire incidents in 2018 and incurred a loss of Tk 3.85 billion. Some 130 people were killed and 664 injured in fire last year.
Talking to the FE, fire experts blamed poor monitoring and non-implementation of laws and lack of public awareness for such fire incidents.
Besides, compliance attitude of business entities, modern fire equipment and concerted efforts of all stakeholders are badly needed to minimise the loss of property, casualties and such incidents, they opined.
They also regretted that investigation into many fire incidents was carried out, but the recommendations made by investigators have not yet been implemented.
Citing the Nimtoli incident that occurred in 2010 killing at least 124 people, they said not a single recommendation was implemented after the probe body submitted its report.
When contacted, Motahar Hoshan Khan, president of Electronics Safety and Security Association of Bangladesh (ESSAB), said fire incidents are rising in the country due to growing population and rapid urbanisation.
The government should install fire hydrants to douse fire in those areas where there is no water supply, he suggested.
Architect Mobasher Hossain, former president of Institute of Architects, Bangladesh, told the FE that fire department must be brought under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief as it deals with disasters. The department is currently under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He also blamed lack of coordination among the government agencies for an increasing number of fire incidents which are causing extensive damage to property.
"What is needed right now is actions and measures. The nation saw hundreds of investigations after the liberation war in 1971. But the recommendations were not implemented," he said.
"It is very regrettable and shocking that recommendations were put forward to the authorities concerned but those went unheeded," Mr Hossain added.
Lt Col Siddique Mohammad Zulfiker Rahman, Director (planning, development & training) of BFSCD, said building awareness among people in the society is very important to reduce the fire incidents and the loss of property.
The fire broke out at Chawkbazar mainly due to lack of awareness, he said focusing on preventive measures to avoid such incidents.
The department is also creating volunteers by imparting training to them. It will help reduce the fire incidents, Mr Rahman said.
The process to appoint more fire officials is underway to overcome manpower crisis at the department, he added.
So far 415 fire stations have been built in the country while 550 others to be constructed by 2021, fire department sources said.
