The death of 17 members of a family in a massive fire shocked Hyderabad on May 18. The blaze, caused by a short circuit, broke out in the Gulzar House building, less than 100 metres from the iconic Charminar.
According to reports, the family had little chance of escape. The building had a single entry point, and the windows were shut—likely due to air conditioner use. With no outlet for the smoke, the structure quickly turned into a gas chamber.
This tragedy is not an isolated incident but part of a growing pattern of fire-related disasters that have worsened in recent years. Our research team at the Centre for New Economics Studies (CNES) has been studying this trend, linking it to the erosion of fire safety systems amid rampant urbanisation.
In just the first four months of 2025, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) responded to 6,626 fire-related calls—a 14.8 per cent increase from 5,772 in the same period in 2024, and a 35.1 per cent rise from 4,904 in 2023. Despite this surge, official figures show a decline in fatalities. This prompts the question: Does this reflect actual systemic improvements, or does it mask persistent gaps in India’s fire safety infrastructure?
Nationally, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports a sharp drop in fire incidents—from 27,976 in 1999 to 7,566 in 2022—and fatalities, from 27,561 in 1996 to 7,435 in 2022. However, these figures face scrutiny. Beyond Carlton, a Bengaluru-based fire safety initiative, has raised concerns over data accuracy and recommends cross-verification with hospital records and burn registries.
A key challenge in analysing fire data is the vague classification of causes. NCRB data shows that over half of fire incidents fall under “other causes,” pointing to gaps in forensic investigation. This lack of specificity hinders targeted interventions and policymaking.
Infrastructure limitations compound the issue. A 2012 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) report estimated Rs.3.8 lakh crore would be needed to plug operational gaps and build new fire stations. By contrast, the government’s 2023 “Scheme for Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the States” earmarked just Rs.5,000 crore up to 2025-26—a fraction of the requirement.
The collision of rapid economic growth with inadequate fire safety infrastructure presents a stark paradox. As India urbanises and industrialises at an unprecedented pace, fire risks grow—threatening to undermine the very economic gains being made. This calls for urgent and comprehensive fire safety reforms: standardised reporting, improved forensic capabilities, and substantial infrastructure investment.
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Climate change adds to the urgency. Rising temperatures and extreme weather amplify fire risks, making climate resilience essential to fire safety planning.
Climate change and infrastructure challenges
Delhi’s rising temperatures have led to a notable increase in fire incidents. In February 2025, the city reported 932 incidents—a 12 per cent jump from the previous year—largely attributed to a higher average maximum temperature of 26.4°C, up from 24.4°C in 2024. Such conditions destabilise urban systems and intensify fire risks, especially where infrastructure is already weak.
The city’s power demand hit a record 8,656 MW in the summer of 2024, driven by soaring use of cooling appliances. This strain on an ageing electrical grid—especially in dense neighbourhoods with heavy AC use—has led to a spike in electrical fires.
Similar patterns are visible across the country. In West Bengal, a fire at Kolkata’s Rituraj Hotel in April 2025 killed at least 14. In Tamil Nadu, Chennai saw a rise in summer fire incidents tied to high temperatures and power consumption. In Maharashtra, Mumbai reported a surge in electrical fires linked to overloaded power grids. Uttar Pradesh cities like Lucknow and Kanpur also saw more fire incidents during peak summer.
These trends highlight the urgent need for national fire safety reform. Upgrading electrical infrastructure, preserving ecological buffers, and enforcing urban planning regulations are essential. As climate change worsens, resilience must be built into infrastructure to safeguard communities.
The many challenges
The increase in fire incidents across cities is part of a broader interplay of climate stress and infrastructural fragility. In February 2025, cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad all saw spikes in fire emergencies. Ahmedabad recorded a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, driven by unseasonably high temperatures and fluctuating power loads. Between January and May 2024, Bengaluru Fire and Emergency Services responded to 2,947 calls—nearly 80 per cent of Karnataka’s total—blamed on dry spells and rising short circuits in fast-developing areas.
In Hyderabad, over 50 fires were reported between January 1 and February 10, 2025—an average of 2-3 incidents per day—mostly in high-rise clusters with overstretched power systems.
Urban utilities, especially power infrastructure, are under growing climate pressure. In March 2025, Karnataka’s peak electricity demand crossed 18,000 MW, straining the grid and causing transformer failures and electrical fires—especially in low-income areas.
In Hyderabad, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation came under fire for poor preparedness, with densely populated neighbourhoods lacking open spaces seeing repeated outbreaks from overheated electrical panels. These incidents reflect a national pattern: infrastructure unable to keep pace with both climate extremes and rapid urban expansion.
Layered on top of this are gendered vulnerabilities. According to the 2025 Beyond Carlton report and NCRB data, women made up 48.5 per cent of fire-related fatalities in 2022, despite accounting for only 17.4 per cent of all accidental deaths. Most of these occurred in domestic settings, which often escape regulation.
The National Burns Programme estimates that of the 1,40,000 fatal burn injuries suffered by women annually, over 91,000 result from domestic incidents—frequently dismissed as “kitchen accidents.” Despite this toll, there are no major public safety campaigns around kitchen infrastructure, safe LPG handling, or fireproofing informal homes—further endangering women.
This risk is amplified by institutional neglect. A Ministry of Home Affairs study notes that while 8,599 fire stations are needed nationwide, only 2,087 are operational—a 65.1 per cent shortfall. Maharashtra, the most fire-affected State, needs 1,075 stations but has only 157. Urban areas alone are short by 666. Nationally, only 54,239 personnel are employed against the 5.57 lakh required—just 10 per cent.
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The National Building Code of India lays out an ambitious fire safety framework, but implementation is patchy. Cities like Mumbai suffer from both overcrowding and slashed fire department budgets—cut by 38 per cent over three years until 2020—even as vertical construction and glass facades increase complexity and thermal load. High-rises, coupled with shrinking water bodies and green spaces, leave cities both hotter and more vulnerable.
Taken together, the intersection of climate stress, social vulnerability, and failing infrastructure demands immediate action. Fire risks are no longer random—they reflect deeper patterns of environmental degradation, gender inequity, and systemic neglect. The next sections will explore how climate trajectories and poor infrastructure planning are shaping India’s fire risk landscape, and what it will take to build resilience.
The Hyderabad tragedy must prompt deeper scrutiny of India’s fire safety infrastructure. While reported fatalities may be declining, this must be seen in context—against rising incident rates, gender disparities, climate pressures, and infrastructural failures.
Initiatives like Delhi’s Rs. 125 crore equipment upgrade are welcome, but they address only one piece of a broader crisis. As the NDMA notes, resilience requires more than firefighting—it demands proactive policy reform, infrastructure expansion, community education, and coordination across governments.
What’s particularly alarming is how rapidly urbanisation is outpacing India’s fire safety capacity. With an average of 65 fire-related deaths reported daily between 2010 and 2019, and the urban footprint growing fast, vast populations—especially in informal settlements—remain dangerously exposed.
The National Building Code offers a valuable blueprint, but its fragmented implementation limits its impact. Without a robust, well-funded, and nationally harmonised strategy—focused on prevention, localised planning, and equitable emergency access—India risks normalising preventable fire tragedies.
With inputs from Ankur Singh, Aditi Verma, and Anania Singhal from Centre for New Economics Studies, O.P. Jindal University
Deepanshu Mohan is Professor of Economics and Dean, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), Sonipat, Haryana. Aman Chain, Harshita Hari, and Najam Us Saqib of the Centre for New Economics Studies contributed to this article.
Source:https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/fire-safety-crisis-urbanisation-climate-india-2025/article69593530.ece