The afternoon blaze that destroyed a popular Dar es Salaam nightclub on Saturday was a sobering reminder of fire hazards at entertainment joints.
Luckily, nobody was injured in the fire, which reduced the club to a blackened shell, but we shudder to think what could have happened had the blaze broken out when the place was packed with revellers.
Nightclubs, discotheques and other entertainment joints are mushrooming in Dar es Salaam and other major towns. However, very few of these establishments conform to fire safety regulations.
Nightclubs with firefighting equipment and emergency exits are an exception rather than the rule, courtesy of the proprietors' desire to keep construction and running costs to a minimum. Indifference on the part of the relevant authorities makes most such establishments veritable death traps.
The deaths of 19 children in a discotheque blaze in Tabora last year could have been prevented if the place had emergency exits and fire extinguishers, or if the authorities had closed shut the establishment for failing to adhere to fire safety regulations.
Tanzania has adopted the same fire safety regulations as those applied internationally. What is lacking is their effective enforcement, which could go a long way in preventing tragedies such as last year's disaster in Tabora.
