It is a rough start to the year with eight lives lost to fire accidents already. Last year, there were four fatalities the entire year. Although police statistics show a fall in the number of fire incidents last year, recent events in the capital and other districts have alarmed the people. People question the fire brigade’s promptness in responding to fires and if the precious lives lost could have been saved. In this story, we take a look at the preparedness, challenges and the way forward in fighting fires, which is becoming a regular affair of late.
The Statistical Yearbook 2022 of police recorded 77 house fire incidents last year. With 17, Thimphu recorded the highest number of house fire incidents. Thimphu also recorded the highest number of forest fire incidents at 12.
However, this year, in less than 3 months, the fire division already recorded 56 fire incidents so far.
According to the officials of the police fire division, the most common cause of house fires is electricity. And forest fires are usually caused by burning agricultural debris or bushes on their land.
“When it comes to Lhakhangs and Dzongs, most fires are caused by incense and butter lamps. And in offices and all, they start from heaters and other electrical appliances. In villages, people use fire to heat food for animals and when left unattended, the fire starts from there,” said Major Tshering Penjor, OC of Fire Division.
Meanwhile, firefighters who are often accused of not reaching the incident sites on time say they face several challenges even if they respond immediately.
“Whenever there is a fire incident, there is a traffic jam making it difficult to get to the incident sites smoothly. Also, the fire trucks are heavy vehicles and the roads are not wide enough to ply easily. And even when roads are accessible, the lack of water sources or fire hydrants makes it difficult to refill water. For example, in Thimphu, no matter where the fire is, we have to come to refill the fire trucks at Changzamtog reservoir,” added Major Tshering Penjor.
According to officials, except for resorts and a few hotels, the majority of the infrastructure in the country do not have fire and safety equipment in place.
Also, they point out the lack of fire hydrants even in the capital where firefighters can draw water.
The division today has nearly 50 different vehicles that are used in responding to fire incidents. The division has also proposed buying additional vehicles. It is also training DeSuups in firefighting and has trained over 130 De-Suups so far.
However, without individual responsibility and accountability, all the good work done to prevent fires so far would only go to waste, losing more lives and properties.
Kinley Dem
Edited by Kipchu
