Most fire accidents occur in residential buildings: Fire safety report flags gaps

According to the findings of a report released by Beyond Carlton, there is a dire need for redoubled, targetted efforts on fire safety. Some key findings are that women constitute about 60 per cent of all fire-related fatalities nationwide, significantly higher than their 17 per cent share in other types of accidental deaths.

And, importantly, nearly half of all fire accidents occur in residential buildings.

Most vulnerable

What's more, extreme heat in the coming months can dramatically increase fire risks, warned experts. And, the home can be the most vulnerable.

The National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB) data showed that out of the 7,566 fires that broke out countrywide in 2022, a substantial 3,979 occurred in residential dwellings. Unless fire safety protocols are stringently followed, it can get uglier. Delhi alone saw a 37 per cent increase in fire accidents in 2024 compared to the previous year, indicating serious lapses.

Unregulated urban sprawl has triggered a mushrooming of high-rise buildings in most Indian cities, many of which lack the mandatory fire safety requirements.

Anup Karanth, executive council member, Beyond Carlton told The Federal, “Based on investigations on fire accidents in high-rise buildings, a primary concern is the lack of adequate fire safety planning and management, inadequate fire risk assessment procedures to inform the planning and design of structures and fire prevention, suppression, and detection strategies."

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Many high-rise buildings do not meet the necessary fire safety standards, including installing automatic sprinkler systems, smoke deteсtors, and fire evacuation signals.

“Additionally, the structural integrity of buildings to withstand fire and other emergencies is often compromised due to deficient construction practices, poor choice of materials and lack of regular structural and building services maintenance,” the report noted.

Major obstacles to quick fire response

Further, quick response from fire services is severely hampered by a critical gap in fire stations, fire personnel and fire tenders, pointed out the report. Inaccessible, narrow and encroached roads in many cities have made it extremely tough for fire-fighting men and vehicles to reach the accident spot in time.

Besides, the distribution of fire stations and personnel across India is uneven, often failing to meet the recommended norms.

The Standing Fire Advisory Council (SFAC) norms mandate one fire station for every 10 square km in urban areas and one for every 50 sqkm in rural areas.

“However, many cities and towns fall short of these standards, leading to delayed response times during emergencies. Moreover, the sanctioned strength of fire service personnel is often not met, resulting in understaffed stations. The number of fire personnel in India is only 10 per cent of what it should be,” said the report.

Multi-tenanted buildings in unplanned sprawls have further complicated enforcement and monitoring of fire safety norms.

“In these buildings with completely mixed occupancy, each cubicle is given a particular type of commercial license. Someone would be doing gas cooking, some of them may be hospitals, even small nursing homes. Fire safety monitoring can be much better here,” said R A Venkitachalam, a trustee at Beyond Carlton.

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Superficial fire probe reports

The report also highlights how fire departments in most cities are under severe strain in terms of capacity. Fire accident reports are often a half-done job. As Venkitachalam pointed out, most reports end up attributing the cause of the fire to short circuit or that building had no working fire fighting system.

“These comments capture every single fire report in the country,” he noted. They are also, however, hampered by the lack of proactive policies designed to prevent fires.

There are also no targeted safeguards to prevent such short circuits. The Beyond Carlton report identifies overloaded circuits, faulty wiring, and poor-quality electrical installations as triggers of such fire outbreaks.

“The use of multiple high-powered appliances on a single circuit can cause overheating and sparks, which can lead to fire. Many buildings in India, especially older ones, have outdated or substandard wiring that cannot handle increased electrical loads,” said the report.

Inadequate grounding leading to electrical faults; cheap, low-quality electrical appliances and counterfeit wiring products also contribute to short circuits. The report also drew attention to many buildings not undergoing routine electrical inspections, leading to unnoticed wear and tear.

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Blueprint for Bengaluru

Although the situation is dire in many cities with unregulated development, Beyond Carlton – arguably the only advocacy group in India working on fire safety on a campaign mode, has made several interventions to build safeguards.

Its Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2010 led to a Karnataka high court order that resulted in a government rule mandating re-inspection of high-rise buildings by the fire department once every two years for clearance certificates.

In 2018, it prepared a five-year fire safety blueprint for Bengaluru.

Beyond Carlton founder and managing trustee Uday Vijayan said that about 60 per cent of the recommendations in the blueprint saw some action. Although the blueprint’s term ended in 2023, talks are on with the Fire and Emergency Services for a second version.

“Most newer buildings, at least from the outside, show compliance by setting up adequate setbacks, for instance,” he pointed out. The group has also prepared a Comprehensive Fire Safety Plan for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Stay ahead

Taking a safety-first, prevention-focused approach, Beyond Carlton has now adopted a new nationwide slogan ‘Aag Se Aage Raho’ to mark its 15th anniversary. The collective, through its report, has recommended decentralised fire safety and strengthening of public awareness.

“Distribute tools like fire safety assessments and online checklists; make fire safety education mandatory in schools and public spaces like hospitals and workplaces; develop localised fire safety training programmes tailored to community needs; include fire safety in the formal roles of Apartment Owners Associations,” the report recommended.

Prohibitive costs of re-inspection

But apartments, although many are willing to adhere to the norms, have many concerns.

Vishnu G, general secretary, Bengaluru Apartments Federation (BAF) said: “There are certain roadblocks. Builders would have sometimes deviated before handing over the building. This may have been overlooked in the initial stages by the fire officials, before giving the first fire NOC. But later when apartments apply for reissue of these certificates, conflict arises when the fire officials say certain norms are not followed.”

The cost of re-inspection and re-issue of the fire clearance certificate, fixed at ₹75,000 per tower is a deterrent for many apartments, pointed out Vishnu.

“We already have to pay a lot of compliance fees for other civic utilities. Lack of regular fire training within the apartments by estate managers so that it percolates down, is another issue,” he added, seeking that there should be more stress on awareness.