Fire risk: How safe Mohammadpur eateries are?
The managers of Indian Spicy restaurant were unwelcoming, stating that the eatery is owned by a television reporter and therefore media scrutiny is unnecessary
An entire residential zone in the capital's Mohammadpur has turned into a bustling commercial hub at the intersection of Tajmahal Road and Nurjahan Road centering on an educational institution — Mohammadpur Mahila (women) College.
This locality is teeming with many businesses, such as bookstores, stationery shops, florists, electronics stores, fashionable clothing outlets, as well as coaching centres. However, it is the restaurants that reign supreme, dominating the scene. It is nearly impossible for anyone experiencing hunger to overlook the enticing advertisements of the restaurants nestled within the moderately tall buildings.
To assess the fire preparedness of restaurants in Dhaka, The Business Standard on Wednesday visited a three-storey building there (No 25/3), which accommodates two restaurants: Indian Spicy and The Munch Station on its first and second floors respectively. Both establishments opened their Mohammadpur branches in 2020.
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The managers of Indian Spicy restaurant were unwelcoming, stating that the eatery is owned by a television reporter and therefore media scrutiny is unnecessary. Despite their initial reluctance, the TBS reporter politely inquired about their protocol in the event of a kitchen fire, given that they operate multiple stoves burning 12kg of LPG daily.
The LPG cylinders were stored in a separate room adjacent to the kitchen. The restaurant interior was adorned with flammable particle board, sofa sets, and electric lighting.
"One manager, who opted not to disclose his name, said, "We have 12 fire extinguishers." However, upon inspection, the reporter did not observe any extinguishers mounted on the restaurant walls.
The manager continued, "There is an emergency fire exit." Upon request, they led the TBS reporter to a narrow, dark, and unclean stairway located just beside the kitchen door. The practicality of this "exit route" during a kitchen fire and ensuing smoke cloud was questioned. Furthermore, the manager pointed out a "locked" sliding pocket door along the restaurant's outer wall, concealed by large Thai glass. "Emergency evacuation can be facilitated through this door," the manager said.
It is worthwhile to note that the whole building has only one staircase for the guests of the two restaurants.
Walking up the stairs, the TBS reporter entered The Munch Station where its manager Mubarak Karim welcomed him with a smile. Mobarak informed TBS that the restaurant has four fire extinguishers, one in the kitchen. However, none of the restaurant staff have participated in a fire drill ever.
The restaurant, while decorating its interior, blocked the emergency exit door with a concrete wall to prevent rodents and cockroaches. "After the Bailey Road fire, we are reopening the exit door," Mubarak said.
When asked about the storage of LPG cylinders, he guided the reporter to a restricted chamber just beside a room. That time some young guests, probably students, were enjoying food there. Mubarak said, "We will soon arrange the LPG storage outside the restaurant. All the buildings in Mohammadpur are very congested. Free space is a rare facility. This is a common problem."
Opposite holding 25/3, there was Shawarma Village atop the Y/13 building. Its rooftop eatery is accessible only via a narrow steel staircase. Ascending the stairs, TBS discovered a garments shop on the first floor and a cadet college admission coaching centre on the second floor.
A middle-aged individual named QM Zaman introduced himself as a partner of the restaurant owners, mentioning that one of his siblings is a renowned female journalist. Zaman said that his 900-square-foot restaurant is equipped with two fire extinguishers and holds a fire compliance certificate.
Despite storing excess LPG cylinders in the kitchen, he deemed a fire alarm unnecessary, and none of his staff members have received firefighting training. However, the owner declined the TBS reporter's request to inspect the kitchen.
When questioned about the sole gateway, the narrow staircase, which lacked an emergency exit, Zaman responded, "You cannot find any buildings in Mohammadpur housing multiple restaurants that are properly fire compliant, as space is scarce here."
According to Zaman, his restaurant was given a "fire certificate" following an instruction by the Fire Brigade, to create a separate staircase (what the reporter saw earlier) at his own cost.
"If a fire breaks out at my restaurant, we will first use the extinguishers. Otherwise, we will use water from the restaurant's washroom. These are the only tools we can apply during an emergency. The last option will be dialling 999," Zaman said.
A comparatively new township has grown along the curved Shyamoli Ring Road that connects Shyamoli, Adabor, Shekhertek and Mohammadpur Chhapra Mosque localities. The road has around 20 restaurants on both sides. However, TBS found several restaurants, including "Delhi Darbar" closed on 6 March.
"Because the restaurant has no licence. In the morning, some people came and warned the owner of a police raid. Within a few minutes, the restaurant was closed," said a neighbouring businessman who preferred to be anonymous.
That means the restaurants that were still operating amid the threat of raids had enough confidence. TBS spotted Kacchi Bhai's Mohammadpur branch open at the four-storeyed 24/6 holding. The restaurant was well-decorated with flammable particle boards–cut in floral motifs–and lighting. The 1500sq-ft and air-conditioned eatery was hugely crowded by lunchtime foodies.
The branch manager Mehedi cordially welcomed the TBS reporter and tried to explain how their kitchen is "fire-protected". His sense of "fire protection" might be confined to the availability of fire extinguishers. There was neither a fire alarm nor the staff members had firefighting training.
The particular building houses a brand shoe showroom on its ground floor, a brand electronics outlet on its first floor, a Kacchi Bhai branch on the 2nd floor, a gymnasium on the 3rd floor and a godown of the shoe company on the 4th floor. All the ventures use only a single 3.5-ft wide staircase. "There is no emergency exit," the Kacchi Bhai branch manager said.
On that very day, TBS visited several other restaurants including Chillis, The Cafe Rio and Leaders Cafe situated along the Ring Road. Although most of the running restaurant managers seemed quite confident about firefighting, they left the ultimate fire safety up to fate.
Amirul Azam, manager at Cafe Rio's Ring Road branch, said, "We have sent a list of 40 staff members for fire training. An electrician has been appointed to examine all the electric cables twice a day. Besides having five fire extinguishers, these are our precautionary measures."
The 4,000 sqft restaurant, at the residential cum commercial holding: 45 Probal Tower, has two exit routes, including a narrow emergency exit and a lift.
