Burma Tha Din Network is today publishing this leaked extract from a Fire Service report on what took place at a Foreign Ministry before it was destroyed by fire. As will become clear when you read this, the diplomat was a Burma Desk Officer. To protect our sources we cannot name which country he was from.
FIRE SERVICE - CAUSE OF FIRE REPORT XXXXX SERVICE. XXX XXXXXXX
NGO worker arrives at Foreign Ministry. IS met at reception and taken to the diplomats office for the meeeting.
While passing kitchen on way to meeting in office.
NGO Visitor: Sorry, but there are bare electric cables next to that leaking water cooler. Is it safe?
Diplomat: well obviously it isn’t ideal, and we are considering calling an electrician. Ah here, my office is the next room.
5 minutes later:
NGO Visitor: I can smell smoke, can you smell anything?
Diplomat: No
NGO Visitor: are you sure you can’t smell anything?
Diplomat: Yes. Now as I was saying...
Another 5 minutes have passed:
NGO Visitor: I really can smell smoke quite strongly. I think you should check it out.
Diplomat: There may be a very slight smell, but I am sure there is nothing to worry about. I do appreciate hearing your opinion though.
Another 3 minutes pass
NGO Visitor: I am getting really worried, I can see smoke coming through the door there.
Diplomat: Hmmm yes, well obviously I am concerned, but I am sure it’s nothing to worry about.
NGO Visitor: Nothing to worry about! There is a fire!
Diplomat: Ah now, let’s not be too hasty, we haven’t actually seen any flames.
NGO Visitor: What? You don’t need to see flames to know there is a fire? It’s obvious. Those cables in the kitchen must have caught fire.
Diplomat: We don’t have all the facts, there may be a fire, but we don’t know for sure.
NGO Visitor: Well go and have a look!
Diplomat: It isn’t that easy, there are contractors hired to take care of communal areas, I am really only able to make decisions about what happens in my own office.
NGO Visitor: This is crazy, call the fire brigade!
Diplomat: That is quite a dramatic proposal, I am not sure that now is the right time for that.
NGO Visitor: So what are you going to do? We are in real danger!
Diplomat: Now now. Let’s not get emotional. I’ll speak to some colleagues, sound them out, and see what the consensus is on what should be done.
NGO Visitor: You are going to sit there and talk while we might burn to death. It’s getting hard to breathe there is so much smoke! You need to sound the alarm, and call the fire service!
Diplomat: I am just going to make some calls. I appreciate this is an emotional issue must we must try to keep calm and be rational and realistic.
Five more minutes pass, the room is filling with smoke and they have to sit on the floor to avoid it.
NGO Visitor: Well!?
Diplomat: Well it is clear that there is a problem, but calling the fire brigade it not as easy as it sounds, the phone call might not get through properly, so a first step might be to try a fire extinguisher.
NGO Visitor: It is too late for that! Look, there are flames at the door now, and the fire extinguishers are in the corridor. We can’t get to them.
Diplomat: Yes, that is disappointing. We are going to have to monitor this situation very carefully.
NGO Visitor: Monitor! You need to act. Set off the fire alarm, call the damn fire service!
Diplomat: Let’s be realistic about what we are able to do. Now look, there is a glass of water on the desk closest to the door. Once the fire reaches that it may put the fire out. Let’s wait and see.
NGO Visitor: A glass of water can’t possibly put out a fire that big. If you won’t sound the alarm I will. FIRE! FIRE!
Fire starts to creep into the office. The glass of water shatters in the heat, and keeps advancing.
Diplomat: I do agree that it this is a very serious situation, which obviously couldn’t have been anticipated.(Pulls lever of fire alarm on the wall)
NGO Visitor: At last, how long before the fire service get here?
Diplomat: Ah, just because I have sounded the fire alarm, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the fire service will come.
NGO Visitor: I don’t believe this, I’m using my mobile to call for help.
Diplomat: Of course if you think that is wise, but sometimes one just has to accept that only so much can be done, and we did everything we could.
NGO Visitor: You did not! You could have prevented this!
Diplomat: I really don’t think that is fair. There are offices, albeit smaller ones, closer to the kitchen than mine, and really they should have done something about this.
NGO Visitor: We are trapped now, we are going to die!
Diplomat: Well it’s possible, I must concede, but let’s wait and see. Our development ministry is next door, and I am sure that when the fire dies down, they’ll help clean up the mess.
NGO Visitor: That’ll be too late for us! We are going to die, and it is your fault for not doing anything to prevent this.
Diplomat: I wouldn’t look at it that way. I did talk to others about the situation, and did sound the alarm, I have done everything possible, given the difficulties we faced.
FIRE SERVICE XXXXXXX - NO FURTHER ACTION.
FIRE SERVICE - CAUSE OF FIRE REPORT XXXXX SERVICE. XXX XXXXXXX
NGO worker arrives at Foreign Ministry. IS met at reception and taken to the diplomats office for the meeeting.
While passing kitchen on way to meeting in office.
NGO Visitor: Sorry, but there are bare electric cables next to that leaking water cooler. Is it safe?
Diplomat: well obviously it isn’t ideal, and we are considering calling an electrician. Ah here, my office is the next room.
5 minutes later:
NGO Visitor: I can smell smoke, can you smell anything?
Diplomat: No
NGO Visitor: are you sure you can’t smell anything?
Diplomat: Yes. Now as I was saying...
Another 5 minutes have passed:
NGO Visitor: I really can smell smoke quite strongly. I think you should check it out.
Diplomat: There may be a very slight smell, but I am sure there is nothing to worry about. I do appreciate hearing your opinion though.
Another 3 minutes pass
NGO Visitor: I am getting really worried, I can see smoke coming through the door there.
Diplomat: Hmmm yes, well obviously I am concerned, but I am sure it’s nothing to worry about.
NGO Visitor: Nothing to worry about! There is a fire!
Diplomat: Ah now, let’s not be too hasty, we haven’t actually seen any flames.
NGO Visitor: What? You don’t need to see flames to know there is a fire? It’s obvious. Those cables in the kitchen must have caught fire.
Diplomat: We don’t have all the facts, there may be a fire, but we don’t know for sure.
NGO Visitor: Well go and have a look!
Diplomat: It isn’t that easy, there are contractors hired to take care of communal areas, I am really only able to make decisions about what happens in my own office.
NGO Visitor: This is crazy, call the fire brigade!
Diplomat: That is quite a dramatic proposal, I am not sure that now is the right time for that.
NGO Visitor: So what are you going to do? We are in real danger!
Diplomat: Now now. Let’s not get emotional. I’ll speak to some colleagues, sound them out, and see what the consensus is on what should be done.
NGO Visitor: You are going to sit there and talk while we might burn to death. It’s getting hard to breathe there is so much smoke! You need to sound the alarm, and call the fire service!
Diplomat: I am just going to make some calls. I appreciate this is an emotional issue must we must try to keep calm and be rational and realistic.
Five more minutes pass, the room is filling with smoke and they have to sit on the floor to avoid it.
NGO Visitor: Well!?
Diplomat: Well it is clear that there is a problem, but calling the fire brigade it not as easy as it sounds, the phone call might not get through properly, so a first step might be to try a fire extinguisher.
NGO Visitor: It is too late for that! Look, there are flames at the door now, and the fire extinguishers are in the corridor. We can’t get to them.
Diplomat: Yes, that is disappointing. We are going to have to monitor this situation very carefully.
NGO Visitor: Monitor! You need to act. Set off the fire alarm, call the damn fire service!
Diplomat: Let’s be realistic about what we are able to do. Now look, there is a glass of water on the desk closest to the door. Once the fire reaches that it may put the fire out. Let’s wait and see.
NGO Visitor: A glass of water can’t possibly put out a fire that big. If you won’t sound the alarm I will. FIRE! FIRE!
Fire starts to creep into the office. The glass of water shatters in the heat, and keeps advancing.
Diplomat: I do agree that it this is a very serious situation, which obviously couldn’t have been anticipated.(Pulls lever of fire alarm on the wall)
NGO Visitor: At last, how long before the fire service get here?
Diplomat: Ah, just because I have sounded the fire alarm, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the fire service will come.
NGO Visitor: I don’t believe this, I’m using my mobile to call for help.
Diplomat: Of course if you think that is wise, but sometimes one just has to accept that only so much can be done, and we did everything we could.
NGO Visitor: You did not! You could have prevented this!
Diplomat: I really don’t think that is fair. There are offices, albeit smaller ones, closer to the kitchen than mine, and really they should have done something about this.
NGO Visitor: We are trapped now, we are going to die!
Diplomat: Well it’s possible, I must concede, but let’s wait and see. Our development ministry is next door, and I am sure that when the fire dies down, they’ll help clean up the mess.
NGO Visitor: That’ll be too late for us! We are going to die, and it is your fault for not doing anything to prevent this.
Diplomat: I wouldn’t look at it that way. I did talk to others about the situation, and did sound the alarm, I have done everything possible, given the difficulties we faced.
FIRE SERVICE XXXXXXX - NO FURTHER ACTION.
