Before sleeping, it was a relief to know that the fire has been brought under control and many people have been saved. But it was a shock when I woke up in the morning and came to know that 43 people had died in the fire that broke out in Bailey Road. This tragedy creates a shiver of helplessness all around. More than 50 people were rescued. The Health Minister said that the people admitted to the hospital are still not out of danger. Many of them were suffering from tracheal injuries. Visiting the spot at night, the Inspector General of Police said that the daughter of one of his colleagues had been murdered. He appealed to the people to pray that the death toll does not increase further.
I have visited with friends and family many times the restaurants located on the second and fourth floors of the building on Bailey Road where this terrible fire took place. That is why after the incident I kept feeling again and again that we too could have been victims of this cruel tragedy. There are several restaurants on both these floors of the building. This is a glass enclosed building. If you get a window seat you can see the street below. When a glass-enclosed building catches fire, it becomes hell. Since air cannot escape, the flames and smoke simply move upward. These buildings surrounded by glass are death traps.