Mall and building designs
The bodies of 37 employees of an American-based company located inside the NCCC Mall have been recovered. The mall in Davao City burned last Saturday morning. A body was earlier recovered, bringing the total to 37. The employees were trapped as firefighters could not immediately get to them. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which started at the third floor, where textile, furniture, and plastic containers were sold. The DOJ has also ordered the NBI to investigate, mainly to determine if anyone is to be held liable for the tragedy. I think we should first know the cause of the fire, before we talk of culpability.
There really is a need to reconfigure the designs of buildings such as malls. In June this year, Resorts World Hotel and Casino was intentionally burned by a person mired in debt due to gambling. He decided to vent his anger at the casino. Thirty-eight people died, along with the culprit. As in the NCCC Mall fire, people were also trapped. Buildings such as malls do not normally have windows. Access to the building is through the main entrance used by patrons, and delivery depots. This essentially makes the ladders of fire trucks useless. I know buildings have fire exits, but just how accessible are they in the event of a raging inferno? Did the building's sprinkler system work? Are there gas masks that people can use as they make their way out of the building? Asphyxiation from the thick, toxic smoke is the leading cause of death in fires, not the fire itself. Were fire extinguishers used to try and put out the fire in its early state, or did employees even know how to use them?
A firefighter's job is not easy. They need to know the characteristics of the fire, particularly large ones. It is not as simple as carrying a high-pressure hose and pointing it at the fire. A large fire behaves very differently. Even high-pressure water hoses cannot extinguish a large fire, as it builds up energy and devours all the flammable materials around it. Even if firemen wear protective clothing, the heat from large fires is too intense for them to endure. Which is why the first order of firemen is to control the fire, then try to get to the people still trapped inside. Again, easier said than done.
It seems like a series of tragedies hit the country this December. Two consecutive storms where hundreds were killed, the sinking of yet another passenger ship, a highway tragedy where twenty people died, and the Davao fire that claimed 37 lives. A fire hit another Davao City mall, albeit a small one, which was immediately controlled. For certain, authorities will once again look into the fire safety standards, again after the fact. If only they could see the problems before they happen. Corruption that leads to tragedies must be addressed. If a building does not comply with accepted safety standards, then they should be shut down, no matter who the owners are. We condole with those who have lost loved ones in all the mentioned tragedies. This is not the kind of Christmas one wants to celebrate. I still wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and hopefully, a safe New Year!
‘Corruption that leads
to tragedies must be addressed. If a building does not comply with accepted safety standards, then they should be shut down, no matter who
the owners are.’