Hyderabad has witnessed a staggering 50% increase in fire accidents over the past three years, rising from 1,711 incidents in 2023 to 2,633 in 2025. Despite this alarming trend, the city operates only about 20% of the fire stations mandated by central norms. This severe shortfall has pushed average response times to between 20 and 30 minutes, up to six times the prescribed limit of five minutes.
Infrastructure Gap
According to the Standing Fire Advisory Council under the Ministry of Home Affairs, urban areas should have at least one fire station for every 10 square kilometers. Hyderabad's urban sprawl has expanded nearly threefold to around 2,000 square kilometers, yet the three municipal corporations—Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri—collectively operate only about 40 fire stations. In comparison, the entire state of Telangana has around 150 fire stations. Based on these guidelines, the Hyderabad metropolitan region alone requires approximately 200 fire stations.
Deadly Consequences
The consequences of this infrastructure gap were starkly felt during the massive fire at the Sigachi industrial unit on June 30, 2025, which claimed more than 50 lives. The first fire tender reportedly reached the accident site from Patancheru after about 30 minutes, having traveled nearly 14 kilometers. This was the nearest available station for the unit. In another incident reported in November last year, a man was charred to death inside his car on the Outer Ring Road near Shamirpet, as the fire tender arrived almost 30 to 45 minutes later. It had to be dispatched from Cherlapally, nearly 20 kilometers away.
Large stretches along the Outer Ring Road remain underserved. In several locations, the nearest fire stations are over 10 kilometers away, requiring tenders at least 15 minutes to reach an accident site. Existing stations serving the ORR corridor are located at Gachibowli, Shamirpet, Kukatpally, Rajendranagar, Hayathnagar, Patancheru, Jeedimetla, Madhapur, and Maheshwaram. Even in emerging pockets such as Kokapet, Tellapur, Kollur, Kompally, and parts of Shamshabad, the situation is similar. These areas have seen a proliferation of gated communities, office complexes, and educational institutions but lack a network of fire stations, with the closest being at least 15 kilometers (30 to 40 minutes) away.
Land Acquisition Challenges
Apart from inadequate infrastructure, fire officials claim that acquiring land for new stations poses an extra layer of challenge. Identifying strategic sites and securing land in rapidly developing areas has become increasingly difficult due to escalating land prices and ownership disputes. Experts have urged the state government to undertake a comprehensive assessment of fire-prone zones and densely populated areas across Hyderabad to identify infrastructure gaps and prioritize the establishment of new fire stations. They stressed that the expansion of fire services would require substantial investment in land, firefighting equipment, emergency vehicles, and trained personnel.
To strengthen firefighting capabilities, the department has ordered a Bronto Skylift from Finland, a firefighting platform capable of dousing fires at heights of up to 104 meters, said GV Narayana Rao, director of Telangana Fire Services.
Need for Exclusive Corridor
"The government must create a dedicated emergency response mechanism on city roads. Whenever a fire emergency is reported, traffic authorities should immediately facilitate a clear emergency corridor exclusively for fire tenders and rescue vehicles, enabling them to reach the incident site in the shortest possible time. Such a system could significantly reduce response times and help save lives," said C Andrew, a fire safety auditor.
Widespread Safety Norm Violations
The strain on fire services is not limited to infrastructure alone. Parallel enforcement data shows that a large number of establishments across Telangana continue to flout mandatory fire safety norms, adding to the growing risk landscape. Nearly 40% of units inspected across the state this year were found violating safety norms, despite regular awareness drives and enforcement efforts by the fire department.
With fires increasing by 30% in Telangana this year compared to 2025, the department conducted 6,137 fire safety inspections and awareness drives across schools, hospitals, apartments, hotels, industries, and other public establishments so far this year as part of a 99-day action plan. According to officials, the inspections covered 1,439 schools, 1,708 hospitals, 654 apartment buildings, 501 hotels, 326 public places including bus stands and railway facilities, and 1,509 industries and warehouses. The findings revealed widespread non-compliance with mandatory fire safety measures, raising concerns over the ability of many establishments to respond effectively during emergencies.
Common violations included blocked or locked emergency exits, encroached cellar areas, inadequate staircase access, expired fire extinguishers, non-functional sprinkler systems, and poor maintenance of fire detection and alarm networks. Inspection teams also assessed water storage facilities and evacuation arrangements, including emergency staircases and lifts. Officials said the violations cut across sectors. "In one private school, emergency exit doors were found locked during working hours and several fire extinguishers had expired. In an industrial unit, the sprinkler system was non-functional and combustible materials were stored along evacuation routes, creating a serious fire hazard. Notices have been issued to establishments found violating norms and corrective measures have been mandated," said a senior fire official.
Data from the Telangana State Fire & Rescue Repository shows that since 2012, the department has responded to 53,392 calls. During this period, 200 lives were lost and property worth Rs 4,732.42 crore was destroyed. Among all districts, Hyderabad recorded the highest number of fire and rescue calls at 7,564, followed by Nalgonda (3,557), Rangareddy (3,538), Medchal-Malkajgiri (3,533), and Khammam (3,433).
