Bengaluru tragedy rekindles fire safety concerns in congested areas

BENGALURU: The Nagarathpete fire tragedy that killed five people has brought to the fore again the issue of fire safety in congested areas. Experts opined that demolishing buildings or widening narrow roads in such areas is not a feasible solution. Precautionary measure and stricter enforcement of fire safety norms is needed to prevent such tragedies, many said. Nagarathpete and surrounding areas like Cottonpet, and Balepet are dotted with multi-storey structures that often violate fire safety norms. Similar condition also seen in Ejipura, some parts of Bapujinagar, JJ Nagar, Tilaknagar and Wilson Garden, where narrow lanes make it difficult for fire tenders to reach accident sites. Firefighters struggled for nearly 12 hours, forced to drag water pipes from 400 metres away. A senior fire and emergency service officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TNIE that demolishing older or unauthorised buildings and widening roads in these areas is not a practical solution. Instead, mandatory fire audits, installation of sprinklers, fire alarms, smoke detectors and accessible extinguishers in all high-density areas are needed, the officer said. After Nagarathpete fire, Karnataka DyCM orders crackdown on unsafe, illegal buildings Areas like Nagarathpete have both commercial cum residential buildings, he added. He also stressed the importance of community-level fire safety training for residents and shopkeepers, along with stringent penalties for violators. Uday Vijayan, founder of Beyond Carlton, told TNIE that since the locality is old and congested with narrow roads, the fire department must conduct awareness programmes on precautionary measures and how people should respond during a fire. After every three shops, at least a hand bucket of water and mud should be kept ready for immediate response. Shops selling plastic, wires or other highly flammable materials should also be equipped with fire extinguishers, Vijayan said. He pointed out that while the department has smaller equipment to fight fires, these are often inadequate in tackling large-scale blazes. Building owners arrested for violating safety norms in Bengaluru