From Electrical Overload to Poor Rescue Access: Why City Fires Turn Deadly in India
Every major fire accident in cities that causes deaths shows different reasons and problems behind it. The recent fire in Shahdara, East Delhi, showed that there was not enough planning for safely evacuating people during emergencies, especially fires. Nine people died and around 15 others were seriously injured in the accident.The residential building had a ground floor and four upper floors with eight houses. Some security features of the building became dangerous during the fire. The electronic door locks could not be opened, the terrace was difficult to reach, and metal grills around the balconies and building blocked rescue work. Firefighters had to cut the grills to save people.Another fire in Palam in March, where nine members of a family died, showed the difficulties fire services face in Delhi. The building, which was used for both residential and commercial purposes, did not have enough firefighting equipment. Witnesses also said that the hydraulic lifts used by firefighters were not working properly.Although fire services said they reached the Shahdara fire on time, response times in Delhi have often been slow. In another fire in Dwarka in 2025, fire engines could not enter a housing society because its name board blocked the way.There is definitely a need to improve fire safety and firefighting systems in Delhi, but one major issue that is often ignored is electrical faults, which cause many fires in Indian cities. During summer, people usually blame air-conditioners for such fires, like in the Shahdara fire. The real problem is often overloading. On very hot days, appliances like air-conditioners use a lot of electricity. Many electrical wires are not strong enough to handle this heavy load, so they heat up and catch fire. Circuit breakers, which are supposed to automatically stop the power supply for safety, often fail to work properly.In many Indian homes, too many high-power appliances are used even when the electrical system is not designed for them. People usually want appliances to keep running all the time, but the automatic tripping of overloaded equipment is actually an important safety feature.City authorities talk about using modern technology like drones and robots to fight fires, but even basic safety measures and prevention systems are still missing in many places.