BSEC Bhaban fire: a wakeup call for all
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Arifa As Alam
It was about 11:30am on February 26, 2007. A woman was flying holding a thin rope connected with a helicopter. Another woman was seen trying to get out of a building using phone cables, but failed. She fell on the ground and died.
These were the horrific scenes experienced by thousands of onlookers when a devastating fire roared through the 11-storied Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) Bhaban.
The BSEC Bhaban in the city's Karwan Bazar area, a business hub, houses many business organisations, including media outlets like ntv, RTV, Amar Desh and Islamic TV.
Three people died and at least 50 were injured in the fire incident on the day. Scores of people trapped inside the building were evacuated by using ladders and helicopters and other ways.
RTV reporter Asma Akther Sathi who was trapped in the building describes her ordeal, "The whole building was engulfed by the fire, I and my colleagues were stranded on the roof crying for help. We were trembling out of fear. Oh, this is simply indescribable."
The towering inferno on the BSEC Bhaban could be taken as a wakeup call for the city dwellers. Heavens forbid, many high-rise buildings in the capital may experience such incident as those have been constructed without proper planning.
Not only that. These buildings are ill equipped to face any fire incidents or other emergencies. To make the matter even worse, many of the high-rise buildings have no fire exit. There is hardly any necessary equipment to instantly fight the fire. One will have to wait until the fire fighters arrive.
"But, to be honest, the country's fire service can't help effectively in case of such fire because they too are ill equipped," says another journalist who covered the incident.
He says it is very important to ensure some basic safety measures in each building before it is constructed. There should be a protected fire zone and emergency exits in case of fire, earthquake and fire-fighting equipment like extinguishers, own water hoses and water reservoir.
And, the high-rise buildings must have more safety features than the ordinary multi-storied ones. But most of the buildings in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country are constructed ignoring the safety regulations. And the authorities are turning a blind eye to them.
Every year, fire causes a significant number of deaths and thousands of injuries. Assets are destroyed. Many people end up on the streets because of fire.
A few buildings only have basic fire-fighting facilities. But, most of the owners do not know how to use them, as mock exercises are not carried out.
Allegations are there that buildings are not constructed following the provisions of the Bangladesh National Building Code and they are built in very close proximity. So, when a fire breaks out it rages through the adjacent buildings very quickly.
According to the Fire Protection Act, 2003, all buildings must have adequate fire-fighting equipment to ensure public safety. Construction of a building over six floors without elevator is not allowed. Any building with over 10 floors must have elevators spacious enough to carry patients on stretchers. A generator is a must to run the elevators.
The rules also say high-rise buildings with over six floors must have emergency exit elevators and emergency electricity supply. These buildings must have their own control-room and, gas and heat detection systems. Every high-rise building must have trained personnel to operate the fire-fighting equipment. The buildings of more than 20 floors must have helipads.
According to press reports, none of the city's tall buildings have the safety measures required by the rules. "Due to the absence of proper safety measures, evacuation process was delayed during the fire in the BSEC Bhaban," says a fire brigade official, who took part in the rescue operation on February 26.
Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence department is ill equipped to fight fire and carry out rescue operation in high-rise buildings. To fight fire on 6-7 storied buildings, they have only four snorkel fire engines of which only two are in Dhaka and one each in Chittagong and Khulna. Snorkel fire engines that are fitted with cranes can reach up to 90 feet, equivalent to an 8-storied building.
The entire department has got only one turntable ladder (TTL), which could reach over seven floors. TTL is a special ladder that is very effective in fire fighting and rescue operations. It can reach as high as 150 feet, which is equal to a 15-storied building.
"This very TTL was bought in 1982 at a cost of Tk 1.5 crore from Japan. It has become fragile and could break down any time," says Selim Bhuiyan, deputy director of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence department.
The statistics reflect the state of fire service in Bangladesh. An official, requesting anonymity, says, "We keep on asking the government to procure more TTL and snorkels, but the government seems to be reluctant."
Experts say, "The BSEC Bhaban inferno has clearly exposed how vulnerable we are. If a couple of buildings catch fire at a time, the Fire Service department will have nothing to do, but to leave it to almighty."
"So the government, building owners and people must take a lesson from the BSEC Bhaban fire. And the government will have to ensure that the building owners fully abide by the rules and it will also have to equip fire brigade with modern machinery," says an official wishing anonymity.
He says the owners will have to make sure their buildings are constructed following the rules to the point. "And, the owners of the already constructed high-rise buildings must put in place the safety measures. Above all, people will have to be aware about the causes of fire and how to fight it without putting their lives in danger," he says.
...........................
— News Network
It was about 11:30am on February 26, 2007. A woman was flying holding a thin rope connected with a helicopter. Another woman was seen trying to get out of a building using phone cables, but failed. She fell on the ground and died.
These were the horrific scenes experienced by thousands of onlookers when a devastating fire roared through the 11-storied Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) Bhaban.
The BSEC Bhaban in the city's Karwan Bazar area, a business hub, houses many business organisations, including media outlets like ntv, RTV, Amar Desh and Islamic TV.
Three people died and at least 50 were injured in the fire incident on the day. Scores of people trapped inside the building were evacuated by using ladders and helicopters and other ways.
RTV reporter Asma Akther Sathi who was trapped in the building describes her ordeal, "The whole building was engulfed by the fire, I and my colleagues were stranded on the roof crying for help. We were trembling out of fear. Oh, this is simply indescribable."
The towering inferno on the BSEC Bhaban could be taken as a wakeup call for the city dwellers. Heavens forbid, many high-rise buildings in the capital may experience such incident as those have been constructed without proper planning.
Not only that. These buildings are ill equipped to face any fire incidents or other emergencies. To make the matter even worse, many of the high-rise buildings have no fire exit. There is hardly any necessary equipment to instantly fight the fire. One will have to wait until the fire fighters arrive.
"But, to be honest, the country's fire service can't help effectively in case of such fire because they too are ill equipped," says another journalist who covered the incident.
He says it is very important to ensure some basic safety measures in each building before it is constructed. There should be a protected fire zone and emergency exits in case of fire, earthquake and fire-fighting equipment like extinguishers, own water hoses and water reservoir.
And, the high-rise buildings must have more safety features than the ordinary multi-storied ones. But most of the buildings in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country are constructed ignoring the safety regulations. And the authorities are turning a blind eye to them.
Every year, fire causes a significant number of deaths and thousands of injuries. Assets are destroyed. Many people end up on the streets because of fire.
A few buildings only have basic fire-fighting facilities. But, most of the owners do not know how to use them, as mock exercises are not carried out.
Allegations are there that buildings are not constructed following the provisions of the Bangladesh National Building Code and they are built in very close proximity. So, when a fire breaks out it rages through the adjacent buildings very quickly.
According to the Fire Protection Act, 2003, all buildings must have adequate fire-fighting equipment to ensure public safety. Construction of a building over six floors without elevator is not allowed. Any building with over 10 floors must have elevators spacious enough to carry patients on stretchers. A generator is a must to run the elevators.
The rules also say high-rise buildings with over six floors must have emergency exit elevators and emergency electricity supply. These buildings must have their own control-room and, gas and heat detection systems. Every high-rise building must have trained personnel to operate the fire-fighting equipment. The buildings of more than 20 floors must have helipads.
According to press reports, none of the city's tall buildings have the safety measures required by the rules. "Due to the absence of proper safety measures, evacuation process was delayed during the fire in the BSEC Bhaban," says a fire brigade official, who took part in the rescue operation on February 26.
Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence department is ill equipped to fight fire and carry out rescue operation in high-rise buildings. To fight fire on 6-7 storied buildings, they have only four snorkel fire engines of which only two are in Dhaka and one each in Chittagong and Khulna. Snorkel fire engines that are fitted with cranes can reach up to 90 feet, equivalent to an 8-storied building.
The entire department has got only one turntable ladder (TTL), which could reach over seven floors. TTL is a special ladder that is very effective in fire fighting and rescue operations. It can reach as high as 150 feet, which is equal to a 15-storied building.
"This very TTL was bought in 1982 at a cost of Tk 1.5 crore from Japan. It has become fragile and could break down any time," says Selim Bhuiyan, deputy director of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence department.
The statistics reflect the state of fire service in Bangladesh. An official, requesting anonymity, says, "We keep on asking the government to procure more TTL and snorkels, but the government seems to be reluctant."
Experts say, "The BSEC Bhaban inferno has clearly exposed how vulnerable we are. If a couple of buildings catch fire at a time, the Fire Service department will have nothing to do, but to leave it to almighty."
"So the government, building owners and people must take a lesson from the BSEC Bhaban fire. And the government will have to ensure that the building owners fully abide by the rules and it will also have to equip fire brigade with modern machinery," says an official wishing anonymity.
He says the owners will have to make sure their buildings are constructed following the rules to the point. "And, the owners of the already constructed high-rise buildings must put in place the safety measures. Above all, people will have to be aware about the causes of fire and how to fight it without putting their lives in danger," he says.
...........................
— News Network