Start trying now to prevent any more fatal fires

Saturday's house-fire tragedy in Al Ain, in which a mother and young child died and more than a dozen other people were rescued, should give governments, society and individuals the determination to reduce the cost, in lives and wealth, imposed on us by accidental fires.

On a street in Al Ain, only charred rubble remains of a family home which bustled with life just last Friday. The nightmare which killed a mother and her young son - and could have killed many more - must become a grim reminder to us all: vigilance against fire is everyone's job every day.

The story is so gripping that it has been impossible to miss in the news: when the home caught fire early Saturday, Tahrir Khamis Shaheen, 28, was the first to wake up. She ran out, raised the alarm and then ran back into the house to find her son Khalilallah, 5.

Her husband Ahmed, 30, realised that many residents were trapped in a back room. So he smashed his 4X4 vehicle through the back wall, and then he and his courageous neighbours hurried 14 people out to safety. But they could not help Mr Shaheen's own wife and son.

Seven of those rescued remain in intensive care. We owe it to them, to Tahrir and Khalilallah, to previous fire victims living and dead, and to ourselves to learn from this tragedy. Shock and horror must give way to hard questions and resolution to prevent such disasters in future.

The questions begin with architectural design: how can a substantial house be built with just one exit, for example?

Then there is fire prevention. Stairwells in some apartment buildings may be both small and cluttered, becoming a menace in an emergency. And smoke detectors are still far too rare.

Abu Dhabi's ambitious plan to inspect every home for fire safety by this month has in fact reached only two-thirds of homes. In Al Ain, the Shaheen family members said no inspector had visited them. Some residents have complained that the inspection is perfunctory. If home-by-home checks are worth doing - and we think they are - they are worth doing well; are more resources needed?

Then there are questions about emergency response: do firefighters arrive quickly enough? If not, what must be done? One perennial complaint is the haphazard street address system, which can slow rescuers down. A plume of smoke should be enough of a signpost, but technological solutions to locate the scene of an emergency using GPS should be considered.

We are entering a long, hot summer, and we know from experience that fires will pose a danger. There are many more questions about fire safety that need to be asked and answered in the coming days.