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The blaze spread from the bottom floors after fire in one of the shops and it spread fast due to the presence of polyester fabrics, which is highly combustible. It is a large textile market complex containing more than 600 shops. The tenant traders had kept various dress material and apparel in their shops. The stock eventually led the fire to spread quickly. According to the rough estimates, textile fabrics worth crores of rupees have been gutted in this massive inferno.

Figure 1- In this incident, a ‘brigade call’ was declared by the fire brigade, and 60 fire tenders from across the city were deployed to contain the blaze. | Source of Image- https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/01/surat-fire-3.jpg

Though the exact reason behind the fire was not yet to be ascertained, but according to some well placed sources, a fire was reported at Raghuveer market on January 8, 2020 too. After this incident the fire department had issued notice for setting up of safety equipment. This highlights the deficiency of fire safety equipments at such a vulnerable facility where heaps of highly combustible material was handled and stored!!! This is sheer apathy towards following fire safety norms and deploying appropriate fire safety instruments and equipments.

Fire safety is a fundamental consideration in building design and management, specifically when it is going to deal with fabric material. The first few minutes of a fire are crucial in containing it. Automatic fire alarm systems such as smoke and heat detectors are mandatory elements in international building codes, and particularly useful in spotting fires during times when occupancy in the building is low.

Unfortunately the fire protection arrangement is often overlooked. Most of the time it is observed that such defying practices are followed either due to lack of knowledge of fire safety or simply for cost cutting. But in both the possible scenario the loss is way too high than the cost saved!!! Fire extinguishers are only useful if they work, so they need to be checked regularly and maintained properly. High-rise buildings, which are harder to access and evacuate, should consider installing automatic sprinkler systems. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a US-based non-profit body, estimates that automatic suppression systems lower the cost of damage by 60%.

Fire is fairly frequent in textile units because textiles fibers are highly combustible and it becomes highly difficult to douse the fire once the fibre catches it. This incident is indeed another wake-up call for all of us. It reinforces the necessity of fire fighting systems.  We should take all necessary steps to ensure that such incidents do not take place in future.