Telangana: Short circuit a major cause of fire accidents in Mancherial

The district saw 110 fire accidents in 2024-25 financial year, say officials; property worth over Rs 3 crore reduced to ashes in last three years

Mancherial: Electrical short circuit was found to be a major cause of fire accidents occurring in the district.

Officials said the district saw 110 fire accidents in 2024-25 financial year as against 120 in the previous year and 152 in 2022-23, indicating a slight dip in mishaps. The decline in accidents can be attributed to creation of awareness, officials say. Property worth over Rs 3 crore was reduced to ashes in the accidents in the last three years.

Recklessness and human errors are said to be resulting in the fire accidents. Installation of poor quality switchboards are also contributing to the mishaps. Electrical short circuit caused by faulty wiring was found to be a major cause of fire accidents reported in the district in the last few years. The mishaps could be prevented if people follow safety measures, District Fire Officer Bhagavan Reddy said.

All electrical equipment should be in compliance with relevant Indian standards. Air conditioning should be linked with a fire detection system. Transformers, air-conditioning and boilers should be in separate fire resisting rooms. All vertical shafts or ducts for drainage pipes, plumbing, wiring and cabling should be sealed at each floor.

The officials further said a major portion of commercial establishments in the town were not willing to take no objection certificates (NOCs) after completing the construction for reasons best known to them. The establishments should be equipped with setback as per norms of Telangana Municipal Act-2019, staircases, firefighting equipment and some additional features in order to get the NOC.

According to fire safety norms, hospitals, shopping malls, hotels and high-rise buildings should be equipped with fire detection, alarm and extinguishing systems. They should provide a stand-by emergency power supply to cater to fire water pumps, fire lifts and other emergency systems for firefighting. They must train all employees in fire prevention, firefighting and emergency response. They should conduct periodic emergency drills.