Armed forces helicopters are being used to rescue people who were stuck at the fire at FR Tower of Banani in Dhaka on Thursday, March 28, 2019 Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

'We almost had the fire under control. But then, when helicopters arrived to rescue some of the people who were trapped, the wind from their rotor blades blew smoke back into the building and reignited the flames'

Lamenting that fire fighters receive little assistance in their work, Fire Service and Civil Defence Director Major AKM Shakil Newaz has said helicopters attempting to rescue victims helped spread the deadly blaze that claimed 26 lives at FR Tower in Banani on March 28.

“We almost had the fire under control. But then, when helicopters arrived to rescue some of the people who were trapped, the wind from their rotor blades blew smoke back into the building and reignited the flames. Every machine has a sphere where it should be utilized, and times when it should not,” he said.

The Fire Service director made the comments during a seminar and fire fighting trial at the Engineer’s Institute in Dhaka on Thursday.

Delays between the start of a fire and the time when Fire Service were informed also contributed to increasing the severity of fire incidents, he said.

“The fire broke out at FR Tower between 12:25-12:30pm. However, the Fire Service was informed about it at 12:52pm. It also took some time to reach the location because of traffic. In such a building, would a fire stay where it began after 40mins?

“In all the recent fire incidents, the Fire Service was never informed on time. We were informed after everything was already burnt. We had to fight through traffic, found no water source at the scene, and were attacked by crowds. How can we operate with these conditions?” the Fire Service direct further questioned.

“Fire fighters need a clear environment to do their job, and it is the responsibility of every member of society to ensure this,” he added.

Mentioning that there are irregularities in the construction of nearly every high-rise building in Dhaka, the Fire Service director said engineers needed to shoulder some of the responsibility for fire incidents. “We all have to take responsibility. Those who designed the building, as well as those who constructed it, played a part in the fire incident.”

He urged for building to never be constructed with steel, as it heats up quickly and poses a significant barrier for fire fighters.

He added that every building’s residents should have the capacity to fight fires for 30 minutes, until fire fighters arrived, but there was a complete absence of fire fighting at FR Tower.

Shakil also said the unexpected presence of chemical smoke inside FR Tower, caused by the burning of plastic decorations and other items, had made fighting the blaze more difficult for fire fighters.

“Indoor decorations are a major hazard for fire fighters, especially when made of plastic. It melts and can drip on to the fire fighters,” he said.

He also called for the installation of proper fire alarms and warning systems, as many people in FR Tower had continued to work even after the fire began. “About 5,000 people managed to escape, but 25 died. Why? This needs to be investigated.”

The Fire Service director said, in case of a fire, the Fire Service should be informed immediately, fire extinguishers should be used within one and a half minutes of the start of the fire, vulnerable people should be identified, and proper evacuation procedure followed. Electrical and gas lines should be shut, and they need to be resilient to begin with.

Of 17,000 fire incidents that take place in Bangladesh annually, about 4,000 are in Dhaka. About 150 people die from fires every year, according to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence.