No fire station in seven upazilas of Comilla

Seven of the 16 upazilas of the district are still without any fire service and civil defence station, leaving around 2.5 million people living in the areas vulnerable to serious losses in case of fire incidents.
The seven upazilas are Debidwar, Burichong, Brahmanpara, Nangalkot, Monoharganj, Meghna, and Titas.
At least 539 fire incidents took place in the district in one year till July 20 this year, causing an estimated damage to properties worth Tk 7 crore 24 lakh 62 thousand taka.
Fire service stations could not be established in the seven upazilas due to the complexity regarding land acquisition, although the government allotted necessary fund for the purpose, said Md Sahabuddin Mazumder, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Comilla.
Of the incidents, 148 originated from the ovens in the kitchen rooms and the other from electric short circuits, fire service sources said.
The number of fire incidents increased in recent times due to unawareness, scarcity of water, and lack of security measures, they said.
"In most cases, our fire fighting units could not enter the areas where the fires originate forcing them to spray water from long distance.
The extent of losses caused by the fires had also increased due to unplanned urbanisation. The damages could be much lower, if the city would be built as per an urban planning and our vehicles could reach the fire spots uninterruptedly," said Md Sahabuddin Mazumder.
Parvez Hossain Sarker, chairman of Titas upazila parishad, said, "A fire service station is a crying need here. During the last few years, many fire accidents happened in this upazila. Valuable lives and properties could be saved if there was a fire service station here.
"As there is no fire service station in Brahmanpara, Devidwar and Burichong, fire-fighters have to come from Comilla and Muradnagar in case of an accident. Much damager is done by the time firemen reaches the spot after covering a long distance," said Dr Ali Hossain Choudhury, principal of Ershad Degree College in Bramhanpara.
The authorities concerned should take proper steps for setting up fire stations in the upazilas, he said.