Telangana fire accidents surge 57% in 3 years, death toll jumps 500%, RTI reveals
HYDERABAD: Alarming data obtained through the Right to Information(RTI) shows a dramatic rise in fire accidents across Telangana, with incidents increasing from 5,664 in 2023 to 8,875 in 2025, a spike of over 57% in three years. The Telangana Fire, Disaster Response Emergency & Civil Defence Department provided the data in response to an RTI application filed by Hyderabad-based activist Kareem Ansari.
According to the RTI response, the state recorded 5,664 fire accidents in 2023, 8,524 in 2024, 8,875 in 2025, and 1,057 accidents in 2026 up to February 12.
These numbers are very worrying. The jump from 5,664 cases in 2023 to 8,524 in 2024 is almost a 50% increase in just one year, and 2025 had the most cases so far at 8,875. With 1,057 cases already in the first six weeks of 2026, the state could reach or go past the numbers from earlier years.
The most shocking revelation in the RTI data is the death toll. The department disclosed that in 2023, there were no deaths, in 2024, there were 25 deaths, in 2025, there were 150 deaths, and in 2026, 6 deaths were reported up to February 12.
The absence of reported deaths in 2023, despite thousands of incidents. The six-fold increase in fatalities from 25 in 2024 to 150 in 2025, a 500% rise, suggests an increase in large-scale incidents.
The department said that details about fire cases and injuries for each district were sent to all District Fire Officers and Public Information Officers to collect the needed information. This shows that full district-level data has not been put together in one place yet.
The RTI applicant also sought details of the sanctioned and working strength of personnel in the Telangana Fire Service Department, including the district-wise breakdown of officers, firemen, drivers, and home guards, along with the number of filled and vacant posts.
The department disclosed that a list of sanctioned personnel strength was enclosed with the reply, but deferred the district-wise manpower breakdown, forwarding the application to all DFO-PIOs in the state for the required information.
These incomplete and delayed answers make people worry about whether district fire departments keep easy-to-find records on staff and fire cases.
Kareem Ansari, the RTI applicant who obtained this data, has been an active voice on public safety and government accountability in Telangana. He demands urgent scrutiny of the state’s firefighting infrastructure and fire safety enforcement in commercial and residential premises
Sending district data requests to each DFO-PIO instead of keeping it all in one place shows that the Fire Department’s data system is not well organized. This makes it harder for people and leaders to get a full picture of fire safety in the state.
Telangana has seen several major fire disasters in recent years at hotels, hospitals, factories, and apartment buildings. Safety experts have been asking for stricter checks on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs), required fire safety checks for risky buildings, and better fire stations with enough staff in all districts, not just Hyderabad.
With 8,875 fires in 2025 alone, which is about 24 fires every day, and deaths going up six times in one year, the numbers show that the state government needs to treat fire safety as a serious problem.
