 "A firefighter moves among burnt debris the day after a fire broke out in an amusement park in Rajkot on Sunday. A massive fire damaged a large part of the park on Saturday, killing 28 people and injuring some others, news reports said. AP")
Two days, three fire tragedies and more than 35 fatalities including children. On Saturday evening, a massive fire broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot. Hours later, another incident was reported at a childcare unit at a Delhi hospital. And a third one at a residential complex in the capital.
The mishaps happened within hours of one another, in two different cities. But what tied them together? The lack of regard for fire safety.
We take a look at the three incidents and how India continues to flout rules on fire protection.
From Rajkot to Delhi, the big lapses
The fire at Rajkot’s gaming zone , called TRP, claimed the lives of 28 people including nine children. The centre was packed with visitors since it was a weekend and it was offering discounted tickets at Rs 99.
CCTV footage of the incident shows that the fire started when wielding work was underway on the premises of the amusement and theme park.
The footage, which could not be independently verified by Firstpost, shows sparks emitting during wielding. Some of them fell on a nearby pile of plastic, triggering a fire which became impossible for the workers to control. They panicked and swung into action but their attempts to douse the fire failed.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAs the blaze spread, a temporary structure at the facility collapsed near the entrance, leaving several people trapped. The accident has raised concerns about the safety standards at the facility.
The gaming zone had only one emergency exit when most public buildings are required to have more. It was also operating without a no-objection certificate (NoC) for fire clearance from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, according to a report on NDTV.
The story at the Delhi hospital was no different. The Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar, where seven infants died after a massive fire, is also under the scanner for now following safety rules.
It lacked adequate safety measures and was operating on an expired licence, according to the Delhi Police.
“There were no fire-fighting arrangements at the Baby Care New Born hospital. There is no fire extinguisher installed. There were no proper arrangements for entry and exit, and there was no emergency exit,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary was quoted as saying by India Today.
A third incident took place five kilometres from the hospital. Fire at a residential complex in Delhi’s Krishna Nagar left three people dead and more than 10 injured in the early hours of Sunday. The blaze started at an illegal scooter godown in the parking space of the building and spread to the upper floors.
Families of the victims allege that the building was constructed illegally and had five floors with eight flats instead of four.
The three mishaps have put the spotlight on fire safety rules in the country.
India’s fire safety rules
According to the XII Schedule of the Constitution under Article 243(W), the fire services in India are under the purview of the state and are listed as a municipal function.
The National Building Code (NBC), published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), serves as the central standard for fire safety in the country. Published in 1970, it was last updated in 2016.
The NBC provides guidelines on the construction, maintenance and fire safety of buildings. It is a “mandatory requirement” for all states to incorporate the recommendations in their local building bylaws.
The Code specifies the demarcation and restrictions of buildings in fire zones to ensure that industrial and hazardous structures do not co-exist with residential, business and institutional buildings, according to a report in The Hindu.
Buildings are classified into nine groups – residential buildings are in Group A, hospitals in Group C and marriage halls, nightclubs, and multiplexes in Group D.
The NBC mentions the material to be used in construction to reduce the threat in case of a fire and minimise danger before evacuation. It also provides guidelines on height for buildings, floor area ratio, open spaces and provision of openings in walls and floors to prevent the spread of fire, The Hindu reports.
The Code lays down guidelines for electrical installation, stating that it is “desirable that wiring and cabling” have “flame retardant property”. “The electric distribution cables/wiring shall be laid in a separate shaft. The shaft shall be sealed on every floor with fire-stop materials having the same fire resistance as that of the floor. High, medium and low voltage wiring running in the shaft and in false ceiling shall run in separate shaft/conduits,” it says.
The guidelines specify the exit gates and access to buildings. It says that “exit access, exits and exit discharge shall be properly identified with adequate lightening” so that “all occupants can leave the facility safely”. It also recommends technologies like alarm systems, automatic fire detection, automatic sprinklers and water sprays and fireman’s lifts for buildings.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also chalked out fire safety requirements for public buildings like hospitals. They recommend having a minimum open safety space, exit mechanisms, dedicated staircases and essential evacuation drills, reports News9.
Following fire safety guidelines
Despite the guidelines, residential and commercial buildings do not abide by the rules. Eight out of 10 Indians said their homes and workplaces were not compliant with fire safety norms.
A survey conducted by the social media platform LocalCircles revealed only 18 per cent of respondents said the fire safety equipment in their residential area undergoes annual inspection. Of those surveyed, 19 per cent were unsure if their fire extinguishing systems worked; 27 per cent admitted to never ensuring compliance; three per cent had a fire extinguisher but lacked other safety measures; 21 per cent hadn’t considered fire safety; and 12 per cent didn’t provide a clear response.
When it comes to workplaces, just 27 per cent of 11,000 respondents said the firefighting equipment is checked annually, reports News18. Eleven per cent mentioned having access to fire extinguishers despite lacking complete compliance.
The frequency of fire accidents
According to the National Crimes Bureau of India (NCRB), a total of 3,375 fire incidents were reported in the past two years in 2021 (1,808) and 2022 (1,567) due to electrical short circuits. Three hundred and thirty deaths were reported in commercial building fires in 2019 and 6,339 deaths were reported due to fire incidents in residential buildings across India.
Thirty-five people were killed every day due to fire in five years between 2016 and 2020, as per NCRB’a data on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India.
India’s big challenge
While guidelines are in place, local authorities do little to ensure they are followed. Fire audits are rarely conducted. State authorities have been pulled up by courts for not implementing fire safety rules, reports The Hindu.
But the apathy continues. Between the Uphar cinema fire that claimed 59 lives in 1997 and the Rajkot and Delhi fires, it seems like not much has changed.
With inputs from agencies