Goa, July 17 -- BLAISE COSTABIR

Within weeks, three unrelated fires claimed dozens of lives-a pub in Bangkok, a coaching centre in Lucknow and the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa. The loca tions were different, but the pattern was disturbingly fa miliar. People were trapped by inadequate exits, combus tible interiors, overcrowding and dense smoke that spread faster than the occupants could escape. In most cases, smoke proved deadlier than the flames. The Goa tragedy, in which twenty-five people lost their lives, is still before the courts. Criminal liability will ultimately be determined there. But regardless of the legal outcome, the disaster has once again exposed a deeper problem. Every ma jor fire prompts inquiries, inspections ...