BENGALURU: Beyond Carlton, a citizen-led initiative focused on fire safety, raised the urgency of a fire prevention culture after observing the alarming data on deaths due to fire mishaps in residential buildings.
In a press release, the non-profit organisation said that as per the recently published National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, 2024, 60.4 per cent of all fire deaths in India occurred in residential or dwelling buildings. Specifically, of 5,888 fire-related deaths recorded nationally in 2024, about 3,555 deaths happened inside homes and residential buildings. This makes residential areas by far the single largest source of fire fatalities in India.
“Unlike commercial buildings, most residential spaces in India continue to operate without smoke alarms, suppression systems, evacuation planning, or routine safety awareness.
The data also points to the absence of a culture of household fire preparedness, with many citizens unaware of how to respond during smoke spread, electrical fires, LPG incidents or night-time emergencies.
The increase in residential fire fatalities calls for a national shift toward community-level fire safety awareness, mandatory residential safety standards and widespread adoption of early warning systems and citizen preparedness programmes,” according to the press release.
“With rising fire fatalities in residential areas at 60.4 per cent, and matched by lack of citizen awareness on fire safety procedures and practices, it is critical to ‘Act Before the Fire’ for life safety,” Cheryl Rebello, CEO, Beyond Carlton, said.
