Datanomics: Commercial buildings emerge as the second-deadliest fire sites

A nightclub fire in Goa highlights growing risks in commercial buildings, even as data shows rising fatalities in such spaces despite an overall decline in fire deaths nationwide

A fire at a Goa nightclub in the early hours of December 7 killed at least 25 people and injured six others. Police suspect electric firecrackers were responsible for the tragedy. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), commercial buildings are the second-leading sites for accidental fire deaths in India, accounting for 3.5 per cent of all fire deaths in 2023.

 

Fires in residential buildings cause most deaths 

Residential buildings were the deadliest sites, accounting for 54.2 per cent of fire deaths in 2023 according to the NCRB. The total number of fire deaths declined to 7,054 in 2023 from 9,329 in 2020.  

 

1 in 3 commercial building fire deaths occurred in Jharkhand in 2023   

Jharkhand recorded nearly one-third to half of all commercial building fire deaths between 2020 and 2023. Bihar and Tamil Nadu saw sharp rises in 2023. 

 

Share of fire deaths declined in recent yrs 

Fire deaths, as a share in accidental fatalities, declined to 1.6 per cent in 2023 from 2.4 per cent in 2020. Traffic accidents, sudden deaths, and drowning, together accounted for over two-thirds of accidental deaths in 2023.