Old and unsafe: on the Hyderabad fire.
Cities must undertake fire safety audit for their old buildings.
Mixing history, tradition and commerce, the old city neighbourhoods of India’s metropolises have a unique vibrancy, colour and feel. Some of the hardiest entrepreneurs, talented craftsmen and canny businesspeople have set shop there, along with the working classes, that help turn the wheels of the economy. These neighbourhoods are home to narrow lanes, crumbling commercial structures, and pigeon holes that serve as residences. Packed with people, these bustling neighbourhoods create well-knit communities too. Built well before modern fire safety norms evolved, most of these buildings are also major fire hazards. A stone’s throw away from the Charminar in Hyderabad, a building in Gulzar Houz housed a large joint family engaged in the jewellery business from the time of the Nizam, as well as several shops. As is common in old cities, a tunnel-like entrance near the shops led to a passage and then a courtyard around which there were shops on the ground floor and living areas above. A skylight above the courtyard permitted light, but no air. On Sunday morning, a fire devastated the family killing 17, eight of them children. There was only one staircase to the living areas, a common feature in such accidents. A few seconds of inhaling smoke can trigger panic. Brain death happens in a few minutes. The dead had literally no means of escape once the fire took over the narrow passage. Photographs taken hours after the blaze was put out still showed smoke obscuring the insides.
Gulzar Houz-type buildings are a common sight across India’s inner cities, and are standing fire hazards. In Hyderabad, the street was wide enough for firefighters to access but that is not the case elsewhere. A fire safety audit would establish key deficiencies of each building and perhaps suggest solutions. But there are millions of such buildings and this would be a humongous task. Communities can be engaged by city planners to create awareness and promote safety. Too often, a building is built for a certain electric load, and over time, the load increases multi-fold with air-conditioners becoming must-haves. Fire safety takes a hit right there. Creating more access and exit points and training residents to escape fires are eventually the most effective fire safety measures. Each neighbourhood could have volunteer fire champions who would advocate for fire safety. While policy and government action can initiate change, communities will have to be in the forefront of ensuring fire safety.