Editorial
Bashundahara City inferno
Fire safety measures in all highrise buildings should be mandatory
THE sight of a huge fire engulfing the top floors of the Bashundahara City shopping and office complex, a structure of iconic features in the heart of the metropolis, evoked fear in the minds of the beholders. Holiday shoppers could hardly believe something like this could happen to a modern building supposedly fitted with gadgets to detect smoke and douse out fire at the very outset. They were caught unawares in the shops and food-courts as the blaze spread quickly in the top floors of the office tower but were helped by security personnel to come out safely. As a high wind fanned the fire, falling debris from the top floors posed threat to life of onlookers on the streets below, as fire fighters looked on helplessly. The domineering height of the 20-storied structure made it impossible for them to reach the source of fire with water guns. At the time of writing this editorial (6:30 pm), one person was reported to have lost his life and many others received injuries of various degrees.
The shopping complex, opened for business in 2004, is considered one of the largest in South Asia. That being so, the question that now comes forth is whether the fire detecting devices and auto-sprinklers were functional in each floor and whether the small unit of Bashundhara's own fire fighters were on duty at the time. The other vital question being asked by concerned citizens is whether the owners ever staged fire drills considering the height and hugeness of the complex. Thousands of shoppers remain inside the huge structure during business hours and this demands utmost alertness to face any eventuality. Fortunately the fire happened on Friday and the office complex was closed, which helped to reduce the number of casualties.
We believe the fire incident should be taken as an eye opener by every one. We see multi-storied buildings coming up everyday in the city but we hardly hear of owners abiding by fire-safety regulations that are there in the books. To be candid, the regulations are being flouted regularly by the owners in the absence of their strict implementation by the authorities concerned. Fire safety measures and fire drill must be made mandatory at highrise buildings so that life and property can be saved through undertaking timely actions. We would therefore urge for proper investigation to find out what started the fire and why it could not be put out before it caused such extensive damage.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments