Aflame again

Something in our mentality encourages us to leave things to fate, rather than make any effort to protect ourselves.

The sight of plazas on fire is one we have seen before and it is one we will inevitably see again. Just over four months after a devastating fire killed eight people and destroyed dozens of shops to charred heaps of ash in the congested Shah Alam market in Lahore, another blaze destroyed a multi-storey building in the same area this week. The fire was controlled only after a 20-hour effort. Seven persons were hurt; but the key point of the matter is that there is absolutely no guarantee such a disaster will not occur again – perhaps more than once.

The reasons for this rather pessimistic view are simple. Shopping malls, markets and plazas everywhere simply have no fire safety plans. Teams working to put out the latest blaze at Shah Alam noted an investment by shop owners inn fire extinguishers worth a few thousand rupees could have averted the loss of goods worth millions. But these devices were not present. To make matters worse, there is also no evidence that any effort had been made to implement the detailed recommendations made by a committee set up by the City District Government Lahore after the inferno in February. Experts had advised illegal additions to buildings be removed to reduce the risk of fire and changes made in the engineering of buildings. This it seems never happened and nor was any effort made to remove encroachments which hamper the movement of fire-fighting vehicles. There seems to be something in our mentality which encourages us to leave things to fate, rather than make any effort to protect ourselves.

We are all at risk due to this way of thinking – and the gross negligence of authorities who fail to enforce rules. Even five-star hotels and the most posh malls in big cities do not always maintain working fire exits. Possible death lurks within their gleaming chrome and glass interiors. But despite the series of fires we have seen, and the warnings that have followed no one seems ready to do very much to tackle the situation or follow the idea that preventing disaster is always preferable to dealing with its bleak aftermath.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2011.