Over 4,000 fires were caused by cigarette butts in 2024, making it the second most prevalent reason behind fire incidents, according to a report by the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters.

Electrical malfunctions were the leading cause of the fire incidents (9,069 fires, 33.98 percent), followed by cigarette butts (4,139 fires, 15.52 percent), and stoves (3,056 fires, 11.46 percent). Gas cylinder leaks caused 704 fire incidents, while 44 were due to cylinder explosions.

One hundred and forty people were killed and 341 sustained burn injuries in 26,659 fire incidents across the country in 2024, and the year saw an average of 73 fire incidents daily, the report said.

Of the deceased, 107 were men and 33 were women while among the injured, 237 were men, and 104 were women.

Additionally, 37 firefighters were injured, and two lost their lives in rescue operations last year.

In 2023, at least 102 people were killed and 281 were injured in 27,624 fire incidents throughout the country.

The report said that the fires caused an estimated property loss of Tk 446 crore while the fire service managed to save assets worth Tk 1,974 crore through firefighting efforts in 2024.

Residential buildings faced most of the fire incidents, with 7,131 fires (26.74 percent of total incidents). Also, 4,513 fire incidents originated from haystacks (16.92 percent), and 2,411 broke out from kitchens (9.04 percent).

According to the report, there were 268 fire incidents involving vehicles (excluding buses), 114 in buses, 13 in trains, and three in launches.

In addition to firefighting, the fire service conducted 9,128 rescue operations across the country. These efforts saved 10,826 injured people and recovered 2,437 deceased. Notably, 6,408 road accidents accounted for 9,319 injuries and 1,484 fatalities.

To reduce fire incidents, the fire service conducted 18,983 drills, 3,036 surveys, and 15,683 public awareness campaigns, 7,769 training sessions, reaching 147,717 participants, focused on fire safety.

The garment industry received particular attention, with 3,921 training courses conducted for 156,840 workers.

In order to enforce fire safety, 147 mobile courts-imposed fines totalling Tk 2.58 crore to 149 establishments. Also, legal action was taken against three organisations, the report said.