Soaring temperature increasing fire-related incidents in Delhi

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Brigade attributed the increasing incidents of fire to the poor maintenance of electrical equipment and machines, poor electrical wiring, and increasing electrical load, among other things.

New Delhi: With summer at its peak and temperature soaring high across the country, fire-related incidents are also on the rise. Several incidents of fire have been reported from across the country, with the recent one being from the national capital, where a fire broke out at a plastic factory near a mall in Delhi's Bawana Industrial Area on Wednesday.

Although no injuries or casualties were reported in the incident, the fire engulfed three floors of the multi-storeyed building.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Brigade attributed the increasing incidents of fire to the poor maintenance of electrical equipment and machines, poor electrical wiring, and increasing electrical load, among other things.

"The temperature reaches 42 to 45 degrees in the months of May and June. At such a high temperature even a small spark is enough to set off a big fire. This February, a hotel in Karol Bagh was gutted due to the running of non-serviced AC, in which 17 people had lost their lives," said Garg.

Garg also pointed out, "the number of calls the department gets during summer season increases to 140 per day compared to 90 during winters."

With Delhi accounting for a major chunk of fire-related incidents reported from across the country, the fire service department of the national capital has to be on its toes, particularly during summer.

When asked if the department is well-equipped to deal with such increasing number of cases, Garg said, "There are a total of 68 fire stations in Delhi, where 1200 to 1300 fire brigade personnel are deployed every day. They have all the equipment available to deal with the fire. So far as manpower is concerned, 500 new personnel have been recruited."

The officer further said that it is not difficult to put out the fire in high-rise buildings, as they are well-equipped with fire extinguishers on each floor. The real challenge is to maneuver through the narrow streets of Old Delhi and extinguish the fire.

Here is a list of some major incidents of fire reported from Delhi recently:

• May 8, 2019-

A fire broke out at a plastic factory near a mall in outer Delhi's Bawana Industrial Area. No injury or casualty reported so far.

• 12 February 2019 -

A short-circuit in an Air Conditioner of Hotel Arpit in Karol Bagh led to a fire, leaving 17 people dead.

• November 19, 2018 -

Four died and one injured following a fire in a Karol Bagh factory.

• April 23, 2018 -

A fire in a slum near the Mansarovar Park area left nearly 300 people dead.

• April 13, 2018 -

Four members of a family, including two children, died due to a fire in a house in Kohat Enclave.

• 20 January 2018 -

17 people, including 10 women, died due to a fire in a factory in Bawana locality of Delhi.