Bailey Road fire: Doctors explain high number of fatalities

Health minister Samanta Lal Sen has confirmed the death of 46 in the fire that broke out in a building on Bailey Road in the capital. Hospital sources say that most of the dead persons do not have marks of any burn injuries. Some do have burn marks, but not that serious.

So why have the fatalities been so high in number? Physicians say that the reason of the deaths is carbon monoxide poisoning.

Speaking to Prothom Alo at 12:15 pm Friday afternoon, Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute’s associate professor and unit head (orange), Prabir Chandra Das, said that it has not been possible to examine the cause of death of those who have died. However, 10 persons, thought to be injured, were brought in late Thursday night.

The cause of their deaths was examined and found to be carbon monoxide poisoning. Prabir Chandra Das went on to say the injured persons were in closed spaces filled with black fumes for around half an hour to 45 minutes.

The fire had broken out at 9:45 pm Thursday night at a six-storey building on Bailey Road. The fire service, with 13 units, managed to bring the fire under control at 11:50 pm.

Once the flames were extinguished, the victims were rushed to Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute and Dhaka Medical College Hospital. At night 45 were declared dead.

Speaking to the media at around 1:30 am in the night, director general of the Fire and Civil Defence Directorate, Md Main Uddin, said that the affected persons did not bear much burn marks. They were mostly affected by the smoke.

Arriving at the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute Friday morning, health minister Samanta Lal Sen told the media that a total of 46 had died and 12 were injured. None of them were out of danger.

The health minister also spoke of carbon monoxide poisoning. He said, “This cannot escape from a closed room and enters people’ lungs. That happened to each and everyone (victims of the Bailey Road fire). Those who face extreme inhalation of the gas, died. Those who survived, are not out of danger.”

Those who survived the Bailey Road fire and eyewitnesses said, after the ground floor of the six-storey building caught fire, it spread rapidly. Around 50 people from the upper floors rushed to the roof. People were in different floors of the building. The thick black smoke made it hard for them to breathe.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, professor of Dhaka University’s chemistry department and air pollution researcher Abdus Salam told Prothom Alo, after a fire breaks out, there is a lack of oxygen, leading to the creation of carbon monoxide. People can die because of that and because of the lack of oxygen.

He further said there must be arrangements to extract people from the location speedily when a fire breaks out. There is an acute lack of such arrangements in Bangladesh.

According to the fire service, there were two electronic goods stores and a juice bar on the ground floor of the building where the fire broke out. On the second floor there was a restaurant Kachchi Bhai. On the third floor was a clothing store Illiyeen. On the fourth floor were the eateries Khanas and Fuko, on the fifth floor Pizza Inn, on the sixth floor eateries Zesty and Street Oven and on one side of the roof a restaurant called Ambrosia.

Fire service director general Main Uddin on Friday afternoon said that there was no fire fighting safety system at this building on Bailey Road.

He told media persons that the building authorities had been sent letters three times about the building being at risk, but no measures were taken.

Professor of the Dhaka University chemistry department, Abdus Salam, said that questions should be raised as to how many buildings have been sealed off for not taking measures even after receiving notices.