A devastating fire that erupted in a multi-storied building on Bailey Road in the capital on Thursday night has resulted in 46 reported deaths so far. Once again, the recurring issue of fire safety measures is under scrutiny, with discussions emerging on why such incidents remain uncontrolled despite repeated occurrences. The focus is mainly on why businesses continue operating in high-risk buildings even after identification.

Following tragedies like Nimtoli in Old Dhaka, Churihatta in Chawkbazar, Tazreen Garments in Ashulia, Tampaco Foils Packaging Factory in Tongi, and FR Tower in Banani, the Bailey Road incident adds to the grim list of fire accidents.

Reviewing the annual statistics from the Fire Service and Civil Defense, it's revealed that Bangladesh witnessed approximately 2 lakh 9 thousands 683 fires over the past 20 years, up to February 2024, resulting in the loss of around two thousand lives.

Nimtali: On June 3, 2010, 124 people, including women and children, lost their lives due to a warehouse explosion containing chemical flammable substances at house number 43 in Nawab Katra, Nimtali, Old Dhaka.

Tazreen Fashion: On November 24, 2012, 111 people were killed in a fire at Tazreen Fashion, a garment factory in Ashulia, a suburb of Dhaka city. 101 garment workers died due to direct fire. Another ten people had been killed by jumping from the top to escape the fire.

Garment industry: In 2012, 21 people died in a fire at Garib & Garib Garments. Apart from this, 29 people lost their lives in the Hamim Group fire. On June 28, 2013, 7 women garment workers lost their lives in a fire at Smart Export Garments Limited in Mohammadpur, the capital.

Tampako Tragedy: On September 10, 2016, 41 people lost their lives in a massive fire at a Tampako foil factory in Tongi.

Various slums of the capital: On March 15, 2017, at 2:50 p.m., a fire broke out in the Karail slum of Mohakhali. Earlier on October 5, 2016, 50 houses were burnt down in

Boubazar Basti next to Shikdar Medical College Hospital adjacent to Hazaribagh Embankment. On November 19, 2018, 11 people lost their lives in a fire in the same slum. On March 12 of the same year, a fire broke out in the Ilyas Ali Molla slum of Pallabir in the capital, and nearly 5,000 houses in the slum were burnt down.

Churidhatta, Chawkbazar: On February 20, 2019, 70 people were killed in a terrible fire at Waheed Mansion in Churidhatta, Chawkbazar, Dhaka.

Banani FR Tower: On March 28, 2019, at 12 noon, 26 people died in a fire incident at the FR Tower in Banani, an elite area of the capital. About 70 people were injured.

Bangbazar and Newmarket fire: On April 4, 2023, a fire broke out in the Bangbazar complex. On that day, besides the Bangabazar complex, four other markets were damaged by fire. The inquiry committee formed by Dhaka South City Corporation submitted its report on the fire incident at Bangabazar Complex on April 11. They said the fire started from an embroidery tailor on the third floor of the market. This happened due to a cigarette or mosquito coil fire. Three thousand eight hundred forty-five traders lost everything. The damage is Taka 305 crore.

Bailey Road Tragedy: 46 bodies have been identified as of last Thursday night in a multi-storied building on Bailey Road in the capital. There were various hotels and restaurants in almost all of the seven-storey building. As the LP gas cylinders stored in these restaurants exploded during the fire, the fire took a terrible shape. Hospital authorities said that the condition of 65 people injured in the accident is critical.

Meanwhile, on Friday morning, a fire broke out in an under-construction cold storage building on the access road of Baklia police station in Chittagong. However, until this report was written, the extent of damage in the accident was unknown.

Meanwhile, the former Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense, Brigadier General (retd.) Abu Naeem expressed concern as the fire accident increased to a terrible level. Shahidullah said, 'It is not enough to talk about awareness now. A series of talking have followed every fire incident. But no one was aware of this before the accident. From now on, the law must be strictly enforced.

Mazharul Islam, planner of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), said, '95% of the buildings in the capital do not have fire-fighting systems. The guidelines contained in the building regulations have also not been checked. Therefore, one after the other, terrible fire incidents happen. Almost every year, the number of fire accidents is increasing at an alarming rate, and there is a serious loss of life in these incidents.’