Highlights:
- Bangladesh records around 27,000 fires annually, destroying valuables worth over Tk600 crore
- Electrical faults cause more than 9,000 fires annually, making them the leading cause
- Dhaka division recorded 7,179 fires in 2025, highest among all divisions
- March is the most fire-prone month, with dry-season conditions increasing risks
- Fire Service saved property worth over Tk7,000 crore between 2023 and 2025
- Narrow roads, traffic congestion and inadequate water supplies hamper firefighting operations
Every year, fires reduce more than Tk600 crore worth of valuables to ashes across Bangladesh, with around 27,000 incidents reported annually, according to Fire Service and Civil Defence data from the past three years.
The capital and its surrounding areas bear the heaviest burden, with Dhaka division recording the highest number of fires, while March is the most fire-prone month. Electrical faults are the leading cause, accounting for more than 9,000 incidents annually on average.
Fire Service statistics show that 27,059 fires broke out across the country in 2025, destroying property worth Tk569.97 crore. In 2024, 26,659 incidents caused losses of Tk446.28 crore, while 27,624 fires in 2023 resulted in damage worth Tk792.37 crore.
While the figures highlight the country's high fire risk, fire service officials say stronger prevention and safety measures could significantly reduce losses.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brigadier General Sultanul Afrain Zunaid told TBS that greater emphasis should be placed on fire prevention rather than extinguishing fires after they break out.
"An incident of fire does not only cause damage to property; it also puts people's lives at risk. In many cases, major losses can be avoided with a little caution and proper fire safety measures," he said.
The fire service director general added that strengthening the agency's capacity would help it protect more lives and property.
Lieutenant Colonel Md Mahmudul Hasan, director (operations and maintenance) of the Fire Service, told this newspaper that the agency was inspecting high-risk buildings, factories, hospitals, shopping malls and chemical warehouses to reduce casualties and property losses.
The fire service is also conducting fire-risk assessments, training programmes and public awareness activities, he said.
Despite the losses, the fire service saved assets worth more than Tk7,000 crore over the past three years. It protected property worth around Tk3,263 crore in 2025, Tk1,974 crore in 2024 and Tk1,808 crore in 2023.
Dhaka records most fires
Dhaka Division recorded 7,179 fire incidents in 2025, the highest among all divisions. Rangpur ranked second, followed by Rajshahi and Chattogram, while Sylhet recorded the fewest incidents.
Firefighters in Dhaka face additional challenges because of dense settlements and inadequate infrastructure.
On 12 October, it took nearly 37 hours to fully extinguish a fire at a market in Old Dhaka's Chawkbazar area. Chemicals at the site, narrow alleys, inadequate water supplies and limited ventilation hampered firefighting operations.
On 14 October, a fire broke out at Drug International's pharmaceutical factory in Tongi around 10am. Twenty fire service units brought the blaze under control in nearly four hours, with the army and Border Guard Bangladesh joining the operation. The fire was fully extinguished at around 10:30pm.
Shahjahan Sikder, an official responsible for the Fire Service's media wing, said narrow roads, traffic congestion and inadequate fire safety measures made it difficult to reach fire sites quickly and control blazes.
He stressed the need to ensure fire safety during building construction and keep emergency exits accessible.
Electrical faults cause most fires
Electrical faults were the leading cause of fires between 2023 and 2025, accounting for more than 9,000 incidents annually on average.
In 2025, electrical faults caused 9,392 fires, or 34.71% of the total. The figures were 9,069, or 34%, in 2024 and 9,813, or 35.52%, in 2023.
Kazi Nazmuz Zaman, assistant director of the Fire Service's Dhaka Division, said electrical faults and substandard equipment were among the main causes of fires.
Improper installation of wiring and circuits, along with inadequate maintenance, increases the risk of accidents, he said, urging building owners and occupants to exercise greater caution.
March sees most fires
March recorded the most fires in the past three years, followed by April. The country reported 3,522 incidents in March 2025, 3,421 in March 2024 and 3,334 in March 2023. October recorded comparatively fewer fires.
Talha bin Jasim, a station officer at the Fire Service headquarters, said negligence, electrical faults and other ignition sources increased fire risks during the dry season. He urged households, businesses and factories to take extra precautions and maintain effective fire safety systems.
Fire Service Director Mahmudul Hasan said the main challenges in enforcing fire safety rules included low public awareness, reluctance to comply with regulations, unplanned urbanisation and poor coordination among relevant agencies.
In 2025, the Fire Service conducted 192 mobile court operations, fined 179 establishments a total of Tk1.94 crore, and filed cases against several establishments, he said.
Professor Dr Md Zillur Rahman, a faculty member of the Disaster Science and Climate Resilience Department at the University of Dhaka, told this newspaper that "If fire safety policies, planning and required measures were properly implemented during construction, damage to 90-95% of buildings could be reduced."
Fire detection systems and extinguishers inside buildings could help detect fires quickly, he said, adding that such systems are strictly maintained in other countries, but people in Bangladesh are often reluctant to comply with the requirements.
Zillur Rahman said, "Particular care is needed with electrical wiring and heating systems, from underground installations to every other part of a building. Without adequate equipment for firefighters and proper safety measures, evacuating buildings safely becomes difficult."