Household-level assessment of urban fire risk in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rapid, unplanned urbanization in Dhaka has increased urban fire risk, particularly in densely populated and infrastructure-deficient neighborhoods. This study assessed household-level fire risk using a disaster risk framework integrating hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and coping capacity. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 419 adults in selected high-risk areas of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation from September to November 2025. A pretested questionnaire was used to construct a standardized Urban Fire Risk Index, and simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. The findings revealed substantial household fire hazards and exposure, characterized by widespread open-flame cooking, congested residential environments, inadequate access to functional fire hydrants and safe evacuation spaces, and difficulties in timely fire-service access. Considerable vulnerability was also evident in the widespread absence of marked escape routes and fire drills, and the limited availability of basic firefighting tools. In the adjusted analysis, higher Urban Fire Risk Index scores were associated with gender, nuclear household structure, lower household income, residence in informal settlements, and residence in DSCC among the surveyed communities. The strongest associations were observed for informal-settlement residence and city-corporation location. These findings indicate variation in reported fire-risk conditions across the selected high-risk communities. They should not be interpreted as estimates of overall fire risk in Dhaka or as evidence of a general difference between DNCC and DSCC. The findings support the need for context-specific improvements in firefighting infrastructure, emergency accessibility, evacuation preparedness, and community-based fire-safety programs in high-risk urban communities.