Fire tragedy at Banani FR Tower (2019-03-31)

I
Less than 38 days after the Chawkbazar fire, another fire broke out last week. This time, it was at the 23-storey FR Tower at Banani. This latest incident led to 25 deaths and at least 100 injuries.
Those who were watching the incident live on television had a very difficult time. They could not bear the sight of how the victims were trying to save themselves. Many people fell to the concrete road below while trying to escape the fire in the building. Some spectators near the building itself were praying and doing everything within their means to help those trapped inside the building.
Many rules have been violated during the construction of the building, according to media reports. The building had no permission for its top five floors and had no fire escape. Similar irregularities are present in most buildings in Dhaka.
Most of the victims at FR Tower died from suffocation due to the smoke. People can die within 30 seconds of smoke inhalation after a fire breaks out.
Nothing can console the families who have lost their loved ones in this fire. We need ensure emergency equipment for fire and other urban disasters in all buildings.
Usually after any such incident, we see some activities from different stakeholders to increase and ensure safety for a while. Afterwards the issues are forgotten. This should not be the case from here on.
Iqbal
Shajahanpur, Dhaka
II

During urban disasters, we often spot onlookers taking pictures and recording the incidents on their smart-phones. This is very inhuman and harmful. Awareness needs to be generated among the masses about how they should behave in case of emergency situations. They could be trained so that they can aid the emergency units and professionals rather than to create problems for them.
When the fire-fighters were trying to reach the FR Tower in Banani on March 28, a crowd of onlookers had unintentionally blocked their path. Social media platforms were abuzz with opinions that maybe some more lives could have been saved if the fire department units had reached the spot earlier. Our curiosity should not cause further problems for victims.
A photo of a class-five student named Naim who are trying to cover the leak of a water pipe used to douse the fire of FR Tower at Banani, went viral on social media. His efforts were lauded by many people.
Mohammad Sohel Hara
Banasree, Dhaka
sohelhara@hotmail.com

III
The rise in the number of fire incidents has shocked the nation. It is very tragic that so many lives have been lost in fire incidents within less than two months.
Memories of the Chawkbazar tragedy in February are still quite fresh in the minds of most people in Dhaka and across the country. People watched helplessly on March 28, 2019 as FR Tower burnt and the people inside cried for help and did their best to escape the fire. On Saturday morning, another fire erupted in Gulshan 1 kitchen market.
I believe that these incidents are happening as we have a general tendency to flaunt safety rules. Safety equipment can help to save lives during any emergency. Most buildings do not have fire escapes. Fire-fighting equipment like water hose and fire extinguishers are also absent in most buildings in the capital.
It is also high time that we modernised our fire-fighting department.
It's a positive sign that the government has already taken a decision to bring the latest fire-fighting equipment from abroad so that Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence can play a more efficient role during emergencies.
Sakibul Alam
Gopibagh, Dhaka