Mumbai edit: Luck, not all the time

Across India, we like to play with fire, and not just during Diwali. Fire is probably the most potent, ever-present danger in any locality, particularly one that is overcrowded, but it is also a danger that most of us tend to ignore, believing that it can never touch us.

Yesterday, 89 hapless patients perished in a blaze in one of Kolkata’s leading hospitals. Reports suggest the fire broke out in the basement, which was meant for parking but had been converted into a store room. A fortnight ago, another blaze gutted four commercial complexes in South Mumbai, including two built illegally by a fugitive gangster on government land. Here, the fire was caused by a short circuit, if the fire brigade’s report is to be believed, and spread rapidly because inflammable goods were packed into the tiny shops in the complexes.

Just look around, whether at your residence, workplace, or place of relaxation, and you are certain to spot at least a few compromises with fire safety. Goods, flammable or otherwise, are often stored in passages and every available space. Escape routes are often littered with obstacles.

Fire-fighting equipment, mandatory in high-rise buildings, is probably tested only at the time of installation. Thereafter, for years on end, there is no testing and no maintenance; everyone just seems to believe that the equipment will work miraculously in an emergency. And the inmates of these buildings usually have no training in basic fire-fighting.

Truth to tell, many of us are just plain lucky to be alive. What happened in Kolkata yesterday and South Mumbai last month can happen again, unless we take our own safety seriously and insist that all, not just some, fire-safety norms are rigorously implemented. Our lives are indeed in our hands.