Fire Service puts 538 stations on round-the-clock Puja readiness

From 18 October 2026 — Daily Brief

All 538 operational fire stations in Bangladesh will remain ready around the clock during Durga Puja, the Fire Service and Civil Defence said at a briefing on Saturday.

The department outlined arrangements for checking fire risks at worship sites and coordinating with puja organisers and local authorities. Control rooms will operate continuously, while nearby stations’ contact details and the emergency number 102 will be provided to organisers.

Firefighters and volunteers will also be assigned to idol-immersion sites. Temporary response posts, ambulances and rescue equipment are among the arrangements to be deployed where needed.

The plan covers both the period of worship and the movement of crowds during immersion. It places responsibility on local teams to identify hazards and organise a response suited to their area, rather than relying on a single central deployment.

The announcement describes nationwide preparedness. It is not a report that every mandap has passed a fire-safety inspection or that a specific threat has been identified at a particular venue.