Fire Safety

Plea in SC seeks national fire, life safety framework for public buildings

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre and others to frame a national fire and life safety framework for high-risk public occupancy premises across the country. The plea said the framework should cover schools, coaching centres, hostels, hotels, guest houses, bed-and-breakfast establishments, restaurants, malls, cinema halls, hospitals and other commercial premises with high footfall. The petition, filed by advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, also sought directions to all the states and Union territories to conduct within three-four months a special fire and life safety audit of high-risk public occupancy premises, prioritising coaching hubs, schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, banquet halls and malls. Referring to some of the worst fire tragedies in India, including some recent ones in Delhi and Lucknow, the plea said one of the gravest reasons for such recurring incidents was the "absence of a uniform enforceable national minimum fire and ..

Datanomics: India's fire services stretched despite rising urban risks

Official assessments suggest that many states continue to operate with significant gaps in both infrastructure and manpower

Students among at least 15 dead in Lucknow building blaze; seven injured

At least 12 students were killed after a massive fire blazed through a three-floor commercial building in a residential area in north Lucknow on a busy Monday afternoon, trapping several people. Eyewitnesses said several people jumped out of the building as fire engulfed the structure that houses a pet clinic as well as a centre for students. Fourteen fire tenders, including a hydraulic platform vehicle, were deployed to control the blaze that was reported at around 3 pm from the building located at Usha Mehta Marg in Aliganj area. "The fire broke out suddenly. It was an animation centre. While there is no immediate clarity about the sequence of events, it seems that the children ran towards the back side when the fire broke out but they couldn't survive. While there is no clarity about the exact figure, but I saw 11-12 bodies from my own eyes," Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who was at the site, told reporters PTI witnessed 11 people, who were caught in the blaze, being tak

Fire breaks out at kidney hospital in Delhi's Dabri, no casualties reported

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though preliminary information indicates that the blaze was confined to the electrical box

3 killed, 2 injured in fire at residential building in Delhi's Govindpuri

Three people were killed while two others were critically injured after a fire broke out in a five-storey residential building in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri area in the early hours of Friday, police said. According to police, a PCR call regarding the blaze was received at Govindpuri police station at around 2.24 am. The fire erupted in a residential building in Tughlakabad Extension. "A coordinated evacuation effort was carried out as heavy smoke engulfed the building, trapping several residents inside. Eight occupants were rescued from the structure and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said. Three people were declared dead, including a 22-year-old man and two women, police said. Two injured persons remain in a critical condition and are undergoing treatment, he added. Preliminary inquiry suggests that the fire may have originated due to an electrical short circuit on the ground floor

Clear and present dangers: Citizens pay the price for municipal negligence

The deadly Delhi B&B fire highlights a deeper crisis of weak municipal oversight, routine safety violations and the urgent need for urban governance reforms

Delhi saw 543 fire-related deaths between 2019 and March 2026, data shows

Amid concerns being raised over fire safety measures in Delhi in the wake of Malviya Nagar hotel tragedy, official figures reveal that 543 people lost their lives in fire-related accidents in the city in the last six years. Twenty one people, mainly foreigners, lost their lives while 25 others were injured after a major fire tore through Flourish Stays B&B in a narrow bylane in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar on Wednesday. Nine people each were killed in recent fire incidents in Vivek Vihar and Palam areas. According to the Delhi government data, 543 people died in fire-related accidents from the year 2019 to March 2026. In the first half of 2026 alone, 65 deaths in fire accidents have been reported. The number of calls received by Delhi Fire Services (DFS) also witnessed a sharp rise in the last few years. The DFS data showed that fire claimed a total 84 lives in 2025-26, 90 in 2024-25, and 77 in 2023-24. While 41 such deaths were reported in 2020-21, 2021-22 saw 55. However, the .

Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers granted bail, set to walk out of jail

A Goa court on Wednesday granted bail to Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of fire-ravaged nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, in a forgery case, paving the way for their release from jail. The brothers had earlier secured bail in a case related to the devastating blaze of last December that left 25 dead. Advocate Parag Rao, representing the Luthras, told reporters that Judicial Magistrate First Class (Mapusa) Jude Sequeira granted regular bail to the accused in the forgery case. With this verdict, Rao said, the brothers will be released from jail. Rao said his clients have been asked to report to the Mapusa police station for the next five days. "We are waiting for the detailed judgment in the case," he said. The case pertains to allegations that the Luthra brothers used forged documents, including a fake no-objection certificate (NOC), to obtain permissions and an excise licence for operating their nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa. According to police, the alleged forg

Texas refinery explosion near coast forces residents to shelter in place

A large explosion at an oil refinery near the Texas coast on Monday shot plumes of smoke into the air and forced nearby residents to shelter in place, according to officials. No one was injured in the explosion at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur, about 145 kilometres east of Houston, Mayor Charlotte M. Moses said. She urged residents in parts of the west side of the city to stay put, saying fire fighters had arrived. "There's been an explosion, yes, but we're OK; everybody's OK," she said. "They're trying to put the fire out as quickly as possible." The explosion comes amid a spike in gas prices driven by uncertainty over the global oil supply because of the Iran war. The refinery has about 770 employees and can process about 435,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Valero's website. The plant refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, according to the website. Images and video posted online show a large plume of smoke and flames billowing out from the

Delhi Home Minister orders city-wide fire audit to eliminate 'safety gaps'

his safety order, issued on Thursday, applies to establishments in residential areas to ensure a uniform security standard

10 dead, 11 injured in massive fire at Odisha's SCB Medical College

Ten people were killed after a major fire erupted in an ICU in Odisha government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in the wee hours of Monday, officials said. Around 11 hospital staff members suffered burn injuries while rescuing patients to safety. The fire erupted at the ICU of the Trauma Care department of the hospital, where critically ill patients were being treated, an official said, adding that the fire broke out at around 2.30 and 3 am. Fire service personnel rushed to the hospital and doused the fire after launching an operation, the official said. The fire service officials, along with hospital staff and police, along with patients' attendants, rescued the patients undergoing treatment at the ICU and shifted them to other departments of the SCB hospital, which is a major state-run medical facility in Odisha. Soon after getting the news, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, visited the hospital and reviewed th

Fire at Noida electricity meter factory: 26 injured, 250 workers rescued

The injured were among nearly 250 workers who were trapped inside the factory, Capital Power System Limited, in the Phase 1 police station area when the fire broke out

At least 40 dead, 115 injured in massive fire at Swiss Alpine resort

About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar's New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said. Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased. The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue, and overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of potentially one of Switzerland's worst tragedies. Valais Canton police commander Frederic Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is devastated. Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage. At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack, Pilloud said. Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the

Arpora sarpanch disqualified, panchayat secy sacked over Goa nightclub fire

The sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa village was disqualified, and the then secretary of the local panchayat was dismissed from service by the Goa government on Wednesday after they were indicted in a magisterial inquiry committee report on a nightclub fire that killed 25 people. In two different orders, Director of Panchayat, Mahadev Araundekar, disqualified the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa, Roshan Redkar, and dismissed the then panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar from government service. Based on the findings of the magisterial inquiry report released earlier in the day, Araundekar termed Redkar's conduct as "persistent remiss of duties." "The breach of the public trust resulted in a catastrophe, causing the death of 25 people," stated the order, passed under section 50(5) of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act. Redkar is removed from membership of the panchayat and debarred from holding any office in a panchayat for five years. The order regarding the dismissal of the then secretary of Arpora-Nagoa

Goa nightclub fire: Co-owner Ajay Gupta files bail plea in Mapusa court

Ajay Gupta, one of the four co-owners of 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Goa, where 25 persons were killed in a fire earlier this month, on Thursday filed a bail application in a court in Mapusa town. Gupta was arrested in New Delhi by the Goa Police on December 10, following which a court in Mapusa remanded him in police custody for seven days. Twenty-five persons, including 20 staff members and five tourists, were killed in the major blaze at the nightclub at Arpora in North Goa around midnight of December 6. Gupta, who is currently in the custody of the Anjuna police, applied for bail before the District Judge in Mapusa. Senior lawyer Rohan Desai will represent him. The court is likely to hear the bail application later in the day, and notices will be issued to the state police seeking their response. So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the case, including Gupta, and two other owners - Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh - who were deported from ...

Goa officials seal popular restaurant 'The Cape Goa' over safety violations

Authorities have sealed 'The Cape Goa', a prominent restaurant located on a cliff in South Goa district, for violation of fire and other safety norms, officials said on Tuesday. The Tourism Department had granted permission for one temporary private shack, but it was observed that the establishment was operating a full-fledged restaurant beyond the sanctioned plinth area, according to the sealing order issued on Monday. Continued operation of the premises without mandatory safety clearances poses an imminent, grave and real threat to human life and property, particularly in the event of fire, electrical short-circuit, structural failure, or any emergency requiring evacuation, it said. The action comes after a massive fire at a nightclub in Arporal, North Goa, on December 6 claimed 25 lives. Chairperson of the joint enforcement and monitoring committee, Canacona taluka, Maya Pednekar, on Monday issued the order to seal 'The Cape Goa', located on a cliff at Cabo de Rama Fort in Kuddi

North Goa bans fireworks at nightbclubs, hotels, other tourist spots

Days after a fire at a nightclub in North Goa claimed 25 lives, the district administration has issued an order prohibiting the use of fireworks, sparklers and pyrotechnics inside tourist establishments. The North Goa district administration issued the order on Wednesday evening as a precautionary measure following the tragic fire incident which occurred at the nightclub in Arpora around midnight on December 6. "The order has been issued under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, prohibiting the use, bursting, ignition or operation of fireworks, sparklers, pyrotechnic effects, flame thrower-type devices, smoke generators and similar fire/smoke-producing equipment inside tourist establishments," a senior district administration official said. The prohibition applies to all nightclubs, bars and restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, resorts, beach shacks, temporary structures, event venues and entertainment establishments across North Goa, as per the order. A prelimina

Nightclub fire case: Goa Police seeks Interpol Blue Notice against owners

The Goa Police has approached the CBI for issuance of an Interpol Blue Notice against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, after they fled the country, officials said Tuesday. Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora where the incident happened on Saturday, are believed to have fled to Phuket, Thailand, hours after the tragedy, the Goa Police said on Monday. The Interpol Blue Notice is issued to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation. The agency is in touch with the Interpol regarding the request of the Goa Police to track the fugitives. The Red Notice which calls for detention of the fugitive can only be issued after a charge sheet is filed and a Non Bailable Warrant is issued against the wanted person. "Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol

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

Goa nightclub fire: Govt widens crackdown, confirms identity of victims

Of the 25 people who lost their lives in the blaze that erupted in the early hours of Sunday, four of them were tourists, and the others were staff members