A major fire in Delhi in May 2026, suspected to have originated from an electrical fault linked to an air-conditioner has renewed concerns over India’s growing electrical-fire risk.
About Electrical Fires
- Electrical fires are fires caused by electrical faults such as short circuits, overloading, faulty wiring, overheating, or malfunctioning electrical equipment.
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Status of Electric Fires Incidence
- High Share of Electrical Faults in Urban Fires: Electrical faults account for a major share of urban fires in India.
- Rising Fire Accidents and Deaths: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded 7,566 fire accidents and 7,435 deaths in 2022, with electrical short circuits emerging as a leading cause.
- Under-reporting of Electrical Causes: Many cases are grouped under “other” categories, resulting in under-reporting of actual electrical causes.
- Record Growth in Power Demand: India’s peak electricity demand reached 256.11 GW in April 2026 amid extreme heat conditions.
- Expanding Cooling Load: Cooling demand already contributes nearly 50 GW of peak load and may rise to 180 GW by 2035.
- Cooling demand refers to the electricity required to operate cooling appliances such as air-conditioners, coolers, and refrigeration systems.
- Rapid Growth of AC Penetration: India sold 15.4 million air-conditioners in 2025.
- The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that India’s installed air-conditioner base will rise from 93 million units in 2024 to 240 million by 2030.
Major Causes of Electrical Fires
- Common Technical Failure Modes: Common failure modes include short circuits, overloads, loose connections, arc faults, ground faults, and ageing equipment.
- Use of Substandard Electrical Components: Counterfeit wires, poor-quality breakers, undersized circuits, and faulty switchboard terminations aggravate risks.
- Heating Due to Loose Electrical Joints: Loose electrical joints can slowly generate heat and burn insulation before triggering visible fire.
- Vulnerability of Older Electrical Infrastructure:
- Outdated Household Wiring Systems: Older residential wiring systems were originally designed for low-load appliances such as fans and bulbs.
- The Forum for European Electrical Domestic Safety (FEEDS) estimates that nearly half of residential buildings in the European Union have electrical installations that are over 30 years old and never renovated.
- Slow Upgradation of Electrical Circuits: Rapid electrification and appliance growth have outpaced renovation and upgradation of household circuits.
- Poor Maintenance and Installation Quality: Poor installation quality and weak maintenance practices further increase fire vulnerability.
Institutional and Regulatory Gaps
- Absence of Periodic Inspection Regime: India lacks a robust periodic inspection regime for residential electrical installations.
- Lack of Modern Fire-Protection Devices: Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs), mandatory in U.S. homes since 1999, are largely absent in Indian residences.
- Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) are electrical safety devices designed to detect dangerous electrical arcs and automatically cut off power to prevent fires.
- Shortage of Fire and Forensic Infrastructure: India faces severe shortages in fire infrastructure and forensic investigation capacity.
- Weakness in Fire-related Data Systems: Lack of harmonised fire databases weakens evidence-based policymaking.
Initiatives for dealing with Electrical Fires
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Guidelines on Electrical Fire Safety:
- Electrical Load Audits: Conduct periodic electrical load audits to identify overloading and unsafe power usage.
- Fire-resistant Electrical Infrastructure: Ensure use of flame-retardant wiring, quality electrical components, and metal conduits.
- Automatic Fire Detection Systems: Install smoke detectors, fire alarms, and automatic sprinkler systems for early fire detection and response.
- Prevention of Electrical Overloading: Avoid overloaded circuits, illegal wiring, and use of substandard electrical appliances.
- Emergency Preparedness Measures: Conduct regular evacuation drills and maintain building-level Disaster Management Plans.
- National Electrical Safety Standards: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued the National Electrical Code of India (NEC) through SP 30:2023 to provide guidelines for safe electrical installations and practices.
- SP 30:2023: It is the latest National Electrical Code prescribing standards for electrical design, installation, operation, and maintenance to improve electrical safety and fire prevention.
- Fire and Life Safety Provisions: National Building Code (NBC) 2016 Part 4 deals with fire and life safety measures in buildings.
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International Best Practices
- Mandatory Inspection Systems: Japan and South Korea introduced mandatory periodic inspections, leading to major reductions in fire incidents.
- Recognition of Emerging Electrical Risks: The European Union (EU) 2024 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, in Recital 36, recognises heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, batteries and EV chargers as fire-safety risks.
- Smart Monitoring Technologies: Smart monitoring tools such as Ting sensors in the U.S. detect micro-arcing and warn users before fire outbreaks.
Way Forward
- Strengthening Electrical Safety Standards:
- Mandatory Power-quality Monitoring: Mandate harmonic-compliance and power-quality monitoring in high-load buildings such as hospitals, EV-charging hubs, and commercial complexes.
- Adoption of Advanced Protective Devices: Promote the adoption of AFCIs and modern protective devices in residential buildings.
- Periodic Inspection and Retrofitting:
- Compulsory Safety Inspections: Introduce compulsory periodic inspections for ageing electrical systems, especially after installation of solar panels, EV chargers, or high-load appliances.
- Upgradation of Old Electrical Infrastructure: Encourage rewiring and load-capacity upgrades in older buildings.
- Independent Electrical Fire Forensic Mechanism: Develop a transparent post-incident forensic investigation chain for major electrical fires on the lines of:
- United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and
- United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) model to ensure systematic identification of technical failures and accountability.
- Harmonised National Electrical Fire Database: Integrate and standardise data across the Directorate of Fire Services (DFS), Municipal Fire Brigades (MFBs), National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to improve evidence-based policymaking and risk mapping.
- Consumer Awareness and Preventive Measures:
- Use of Certified Electrical Products: Encourage the use of ISI-marked electrical products and proper circuit segregation for heavy appliances.
- Regular Maintenance and Thermal Scanning: Promote periodic thermography scans and annual AC servicing.
- Awareness of Early Warning Signs: Increase public awareness regarding warning signs such as flickering lights and burning smells.
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Conclusion
As rising temperatures and expanding electricity use strain India’s ageing electrical infrastructure, the need is to build a preventive electrical safety regime before small faults escalate into major disasters.
13 May 2026
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