Fire incidents are taking place almost every day, particularly in the country’s northern region amid the biting cold as people try to light fire with straw and old clothes to protect themselves from the bone-chilling cold.
Two people succumbed to injuries they received due to such fire incidents in the last 24 hours. The deceased are Nasreen Begum (35), a resident of Tajhat in Rangpur city and Amena Begum (60), a resident of Pirgacha Upazila in Rangpur.
In the last 13 days, 44 people, including women and children, were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital with burn injuries. The victims are from Rangpur and surrounding districts. Of them, the two—Nasreen Begum and Amena Begum— succumbed to injuries.
Most of the victims sustained burn injuries while trying to light a fire with straw or worn-out cloth to warm themselves amid the biting cold sweeping different parts of the country.
According to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of the hospital, in the last 13 days, 44 people were admitted to the hospital with burn injuries they received while to use hot water, light fire with straw and old clothes.
Anarbi Khatun (65) of Mahendranagar area of Lalmonirhat is groaning in pain at bed No 12. She was admitted to the hospital on January 6. Her sister Chaira Khatun said Anarbir's clothes caught fire while lighting a fire with jute and straw.
Himu Khatun (6) from the Dhaloganj area of Syedpur was admitted to the hospital with burn injuries on January 6 . She was injured while lighting a fire.
Doctor Faruq Alam told journalists that 10 to 45 percent of the body of the patients under treatment have been burned. “Such fire incidents are happening due to carelessness. We are providing treatment to the burn patients to the best of our capacity,” he added.
Faruq Alam also said the country has been in grip of severe cold for the last few days. To get rid of the bone-chilling cold, people of the rural areas try to fight the winter by lighting a fire with straw and invite such incidents.
Sources said a total of 80 people have been admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital with burn injuries since the beginning of the new year. Most of them sustained burns while trying to light fire with straw.
