Not only responsible for causing cancer, heart, and lung diseases, cigarettes have been listed as the third highest cause behind frequent fires in the country, after short circuits and burners, according to a report. Fire from thrown away lit cigarette butts accounted for 14.78 percent of the total 21,601 fire incidents last year,

according to data released by Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence. The data says at least 3,193 fire incidents were caused from cigarette butts, making it the third highest cause of fire incidents. Properties worth Tk 13.41 crore were damaged in the incidents, as per the data. At least 3,465 fire incidents took place in 2020 over the same reason.

Fire officials said fire incidents from the cigarette butts were almost similar in the last couple of years, as most of the smokers drop lit cigarette butts here and there, causing fires, said fire officials. Behavioural changes and public awareness can significantly bring down the number of these fire incidents, they said. Electric short circuits were the leading cause (36.82%) of fire incidents, while burners were responsible for 18.15 percent of fire incidents.

The fire service data showed that at least 219 people, including 103 females, died and 570 others were injured in the fire incidents in 2021. Around half of the total 21,601 fires broke out in houses or residential buildings. Fire officials last year inspected 5,567 establishments and buildings, including 848 government establishments, and found 531 buildings "very risky" and 1,292 others "risky" as per the fire safety compliance.

Source: Daily Star