In Bangladesh, fires are a constant threat and often end tragically for those affected. Crying family members in front of burning factory buildings, anxiously waiting to know more about the fate of their loved ones, has become a common sight. Urban slums going up in flames are news seen far too often. Tens of thousands of people fall victim to these fires every year, losing their homes, all their belongings, and all too often their lives, their parents, their children, their siblings.
The number of fire incidents in Bangladesh has tripled over the past two decades. The main reasons include rapid and unplanned urbanization, population density and unsafe house construction, and the increasing use of technology without the necessary knowledge of its usage. Beyond that, for decades fires have been the number one cause of loss of life in the country’s factories. In 2020, the country recorded 383 industrial fires out of which 273 occurred in garment factories. The regular outbreaks of factory fires reveal the often-inadequate fire safety measures and poor working conditions for workers. They also shed light on the lack of monitoring and law enforcement by responsible authorities.
Who suffer most are the factory workers and their families. In the rarest of cases, they have a choice or an alternative to secure their livelihoods. Besides performing hard work in an environment that involves great risk, their low income oftentimes does not allow them to live in safe homes either. It is the sad truth that economically disadvantaged people face countless risks every day, and little support in guarding their lives. And far too often, their lives, their hopes, and their dreams dissolve into ashes.
Deadly Blaze
Firefighters and rescue workers trying to extinguish a fire that broke out at Bangabazar clothing market in Dhaka Bangladesh 0n 04 April 2023 Thousands of clothes shops burn down in the fire dealing a significant blow to businesses weeks before the Eid festival
Deadly Blaze
Firefighters trying to extinguish a fire that broke out at Bangabazar clothing market in Dhaka Bangladesh on 04 April 2023 Thousands of clothes shops burn down in the fire dealing a significant blow to businesses weeks before the Eid festival
Deadly Blaze
Bangladeshi Firefighters and rescue workers trying to extinguish a fire that broke out at Bangabazar clothing market in Dhaka Bangladesh on 04 April 2023 Thousands of clothes shops burn down in the fire dealing a significant blow to businesses weeks before the Eid festival
Deadly Blaze
A massive fire that broke out at Bangabazar clothing market in Dhaka Bangladesh on 04 April 2023 Thousands of clothes shops burn down in the fire dealing a significant blow to businesses weeks before the Eid festival
Deadly Blaze
A Bangladesh s air force helicopter efforts to extinguish a fire that broke out at Bangabazar clothing market in Dhaka Bangladesh on 04 April 2023 Thousands of clothes shops burn down in the fire dealing a significant blow to businesses weeks before the Eid festival
Deadly Blaze
An aerial view of the destroyed BM container depot in Chittagong Bangladesh on 07 July 2022 Bangladesh authorities blamed a container depot operator for not telling firefighters about a chemical stockpile before it exploded with devastating consequences killing at least 49 people nine of them from the fire service
Deadly Blaze
6 lakh taka 6 thousand Dollars burnt to ashes according to the shop owner after a massive fire broke out at the Bangabazar clothing market in Dhaka Bangladesh on 08 April 2023
Deadly Blaze
Mohammad Faruk Hossain wearing an oxygen mask under treatment at Chittagong medical college hospital after the explosion destroyed BM container depot in Chittagong Bangladesh on 07 June 2022 Bangladesh authorities blamed a container depot operator for not telling firefighters about a chemical stockpile before it exploded with devastating consequences killing at least 49 people nine of them from the fire service
Deadly Blaze
Burned firefighter vehicle after the explosion destroyed BM container depot in Chittagong Bangladesh on 07 June 2022 Bangladesh authorities blamed a container depot operator for not telling firefighters about a chemical stockpile before it exploded with devastating consequences killing at least 49 people nine of them from the fire service
Deadly Blaze
Relatives collected the dead body of family members from Dhaka Medical College Hospital as they lost their relatives in an explosion at Siddique Bazar in Dhaka on 07 March 2023 At least 17 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after an explosion happened inside an office building
