Home ›› 07 Feb 2023 ›› Back

Tk 342.58cr lost in 24,102 fires last year

Staff Correspondent
07 Feb 2023 00:00:00 | Update: 07 Feb 2023 00:24:59
Tk 342.58cr lost in 24,102 fires last year

Bangladesh incurred a loss of more than Tk 342.58 crore in property damage due to 24,102 fire incidents in different establishments and places, including industrial factories, in 2022.

The fires also killed 98 people, including 13 firefighters, according to an annual report released by Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) Department on Monday.

It said around 38.48 per cent of the total fire incidents last year were caused by electrical short circuits. Discarded lit cigarette butts accounted for 16.08 per cent of fires and 13.98 per cent of fires were related to stoves (gas, electric and clay).

Out of 24,102 fires, 6,558 — the highest — happened at houses in residential areas around the country, causing a loss of over Tk 65.18 crore. Also, 384 incidents took place in apparel factories, where the amount of damage was over Tk 17.02 crore.

Meanwhile, 429 fire incidents occurred in other types of factories and those led to a loss of more than Tk 22.98 crore.

Some 106 fires occurred in jute mill warehouses and 104 in banks, insurance and other offices, causing a loss of over Tk 4.41 crore, showed the FSCD data.

The recovered property’s estimated value was around Tk 1,808 crore, it added. The statistics showed that out of 85 civilians killed in the fires, 72 were men and 13 were women. Apart from them, 303 men and 74 women were also injured.

Among the deceased, 50 people died in industrial fire incidents, six in slum fires and seven in gas supply line-related fires, according to the data in the report.

FSCD officials, however, said the number of deceased may be higher as many injured who later died at hospitals remained out of their count.

Besides, 9,517 fires were brought under control before firefighters reached the scene, said the report. Among the total injured, 30 were Fire Service members.

The report showed that FSCD inspected 5,869 establishments and buildings, including the government ones, around the country in 2022 and found 617 of them to be “very risky” and 1,606 “risky” in line with the fire safety compliance rules.

Of the very risky ones, 463 were in Chattogram alone and 136 were in Dhaka.

The report also said that FSCD personnel recovered 938 dead bodies after 1,556 accidents occurred in ponds, canals, haors and rivers around the country. At least 144 people were also injured in these incidents.

Moreover, Fire Service personnel across the nation recovered 1,424 bodies following 9,374 road accidents and recovered 129 bodies following 111 waterways accidents.

They also rescued 530 animals, including 29 birds, from 514 incidents last year.

×