Editorial
Fire in Chittagong
Fatalities could have been avoided
The greatest tragedy of casualties of accidents like a sudden fire is the lack of simple safety measures that could have saved lives. Friday's fire in a building in Chittagong's Chandgaon is a case in point.
This particular fire originated from an electric short circuit at a departmental store which was in the ground floor of a four storied building where people lived. It happened when people were deep in sleep. The cause of death of five young people including a child, has been reported to be suffocation after inhaling the overpowering fumes that spread throughout the building. The main reason why they died was because there was no fire exit. It is as simple as that.
So far hundreds of people have died whether in apartment buildings or cramped garment factories because basic fire safety devices were absent. In most buildings fire extinguishers do not exist or if they do they don't work. Fire exits are also blatantly absent. Fire drills are practically unheard of in most buildings. Owners of buildings, complacent and irresponsible, have no intention of complying with such safety codes that are never really enforced.
Indiscriminate construction, congestion and defiance of basic building codes have led to such tragedies. But nobody seems to care.
Except Fahim, the teenager who lived in the building and used his presence of mind and courage to save 17 lives. It is this basic human quality that seems to be lacking in building owners, employers as well as authorities responsible for ensuring that each building has the required safety mechanisms in the event of a fire.
It is time to give human life its due.
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