Bangladesh fire: Exit door locked – News 24

Dhaka – The fire alarm: Waved off by managers. An exit door: Locked. The fire extinguishers: Not working and apparently “meant just to impress” inspectors and customers.  That is the picture survivors paint of the garment-factory fire on Saturday that killed 112 people who were trapped inside or jumped to their deaths in desperation.  For Bangladesh, where such factories commonly ignore safety as they rush to produce for retailers around the world, the tragedy was unusual only in scope: More than 200 people have died in garment-factory fires in the country since 2006.

Students return to classrooms following a fire at CWHS – ABC 30 HD

“The damage in there is extensive and so that room will need to be completely redone,” she said.  But she said the damage could have been worse. After meeting with fire officials and insurance adjusters over the last few days, she’s convinced a “fire door” on the photo lab prevented the flames from spreading.  “It’s actually interesting to see that door,” she said. “The inside is completely black, but there is no damage on the other side of the door.”

Residents escape kitchen fire in Bridge Street – Oxford Mail

The fire had started in a faulty washing machine, but the occupants of the home stopped it spreading beyond the kitchen by closing internal doors.  A spokesman said: “The occupier had managed to close the kitchen door, as well as the other doors inside the property, when they found the fire.  “This meant that once crews had put out the fire and used the fan to control the spread of smoke, all of the damage was contained in the kitchen area.  Closing the doors prevented smoke travel throughout the house and meant that there was no further damage due to heat and smoke in the rest of the house.”

Police & the BPL Release Interviews From 1942 Nightclub Fire That Claimed 492 Lives in Boston – BostInno

It was dubbed the deadliest nightclub fire in United States history, and it happened here in Boston more than half a century ago.  Now, thanks to the collaboration of the Boston Police Department and workers from the Boston Public Library, residents in the Hub can travel back in time and see how fire fighters and emergency officials responded to the blaze that claimed the lives of nearly 500 people on November 28, 1942.  According to the Boston Police Department, this week they approved the release of three volumes of witness statements detailing the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, a “disaster” they said injured 165 people and killed hundreds more.

On the 70th anniversary of the fire, a survivor shares his memories in The Daily Item.

Visit CocoanutGroveFire.org for in-depth information about the fire, including code requirements and changes.

Witness statements and police reports are posted on Archive.org.

Fire door saved Union Street flat occupants – The Guernsey Press

A refurbished fire door saved residents from being trapped in a burning building, the Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service has said. The blaze broke out in the ground floor flat of 7, Union Street at about 8am on Wednesday and destroyed the kitchen, hallway and airing cupboard of the apartment. But community fire safety manager Andy Mauger said the situation could have been much worse if the flat’s fire door had not contained the blaze. ‘If the fire door had not been of the correct standard or poorly fitted, then it almost definitely would have spread to the rest of the building or on to neighbouring properties,’ he said.

“There was no way out”: Archive Daily Mirror news report detailing full horror of King’s Cross fire 25 years ago – Mirror

She said: “I’ve always believed that this station was a death trap. Ever since I’ve been here I’ve thought some day there would be a disaster. It’s a rabbit warren down there.”   Mrs Ord said: “I was trapped with a colleague in the mess room below ground.   I work for London Transport and speaking out I know could cost me my job, but something very definitely went wrong.  I opened the mess room door when I heard screams and saw thick smoke and intense heat.   There was no way out.  I simply could not get through that door.”

New Dubai fire law to stub out balcony smokers in high-rises – Emirates 24/7

Fire doors that lead to the staircase are able to resist fire for an hour or more, and furthermore resist smoke from entering the staircase.  These doors should always be kept closed.  “But there are people who open these doors and wedge them in the open position, often to smoke a cigarette in the staircase.  When that happens, that door is no longer a fire door, because it would not hold back the fire. If any fire door is wedged open at any time this then renders the staircase, in a fire situation, as ‘un-safe’.  Furthermore, there should never be a fire in the staircase, as there must never be any combustible materials, such as carpets or paintings.  We see a lot of staircases where people have left behind such items on the staircase.”

Bangladesh Photo:  REUTERS/Stringer

Cocoanut Grove Photo:  NFPA.org

You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.