Fire incidents killed 35 people daily between 2016 and 2020: Report

Fire-related accidents have, on average, killed 35 people every day in the five years between 2016 and 2020, according to a report by Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI), maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau. This is despite the fact that the number of such accidents has been steadily declining.

During the period, the number of fire accidents reduced by 44 per cent — 16,695 in 2016 to 9,329 in 2020 — and the number of people dying in these accidents dipped by 46 per cent — 16,900 in 2016 to 9,110 in 2020.

The number of people injured in fire accidents has been fluctuating over the years. The year 2017 saw the lowest number of fire-related deaths (348) during the period but it rose by 123 per cent to 777 in 2018, and has been on a downward trend ever since.

Maharashtra, which contributes the highest to the country's gross domestic product (GDP), also sees the highest number of accidental fires. With 9,344 incidents in the last five years, Maharashtra topped the list, followed by Madhya Pradesh (9,065). However, the number of these accidents has been steadily declining in Maharashtra — 3,063 in 2016 to 762 in 2020, a fall of nearly 75 per cent. Many other states too have seen a similar trend, such as Karnataka (55.9 per cent), Gujarat (74 per cent) and Rajasthan (62.6 per cent).

On the other hand, Odisha saw an exponential rise of 205 per cent in accidental fires between 2016 and 2020. Other large states like Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have seen fluctuating trends but an overall decrease in the number of fires.