YET another fire in an apparel factory and its adjacent chemical warehouse at Mirpur in Dhaka on October 14 highlights the criminal negligence of the authorities in ensuring fire safety in factories and relocating chemical warehouses from the city. At least 16 people died in the incident. The number of casualties is likely to increase as the rescue operation was not called off until October 15 evening and there are several people severely injured. A preliminary investigation says that no one could escape as there were two locks on the roof door while the factory and the warehouse had no fire safety plan or licences. Fire service officials suspect that most victims died from inhaling toxic gas released when chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and bleaching powder exploded, spreading thick white smoke. The bodies recovered from upper floors were charred beyond recognition. They are not accidental deaths. They are, rather, the direct consequence of systemic failure and official neglect. In many previous fires, it was also found that factories had lacked fire safety plans and fire exits while in many cases, workers had been locked inside, leading to high casualties.
What makes the Mirpur fire even more inexcusable is that the authorities have for long been aware of the danger posed by illegal and unsafe chemical storage in densely populated areas. After the Nimtali fire in 2010, which killed 123 people, and the Chawkbazar fire in 2019, which killed 71, the government promised to relocate hazardous chemical depots from residential areas and to strengthen fire safety enforcement. Projects were undertaken to shift chemical and plastic factories to Keraniganj and later to Munshiganj, but bureaucratic delays, lack of coordination and political expediency stalled the execution. Temporary relocation to Shyampur and Tongi was also ordered but never effectively enforced. As a result, chemical warehouses continue to operate illegally inside residential neighbourhoods, turning these areas into ticking 鈥榗hemical bombs.鈥� Moreover, the absence of fire safety measures in most buildings, residential and commercial, across Dhaka has been repeatedly documented. Inspections after earlier fires showed that 60 per cent of buildings are risky or very risky in terms of fire safety and about two-thirds violate building codes. Only a few factories and warehouses have emergency exits, evacuation plans or functional fire suppression systems. Yet, after each disaster, the authorities make ritualistic promises and conduct short-lived drives only to return to business as usual once public outrage fades.
The government must, therefore, immediately identify and penalise the people responsible for the Mirpur fire, including the owners and negligent officials. It must provide adequate compensation and support for the victim families. More important, it must enforce building codes strictly, ensure that every factory and warehouse has proper fire safety measures and relocate hazardous chemical storage out of residential areas without delay.
