Butts to blame: Careless smoking tops fire causes in Telangana  

Cigarette butt on white background
| Photo Credit: fabphoto

Careless smoking has emerged as the top cause of fires across Telangana in 2024, according to data by the State Fire and Emergency Services department. The figures reveal a total of 3,865 fire incidents triggered by discarded cigarette butts and negligent smoking — far outpacing all other causes.

Electrical short circuits came in second, causing 2,151 incidents, while a catch-all category labelled ‘others’ accounted for 845 cases. Another 670 fire calls had their cause categorised as ‘not known’, suggesting either insufficient investigation or lack of on-site information.

The data offers a sobering look at common triggers, many of which are preventable. Mechanical heat or sparks (221 cases), gas and coal furnaces (206) and arson (127) were also among the leading causes. “Spontaneous combustion contributed to 113 fires, a reminder that even inactive materials, if improperly stored, can ignite under the right conditions,” said an officer from the department.

Meanwhile, 99 cases were lumped under ‘miscellaneous’, while 66 fires were linked to naked flames. Domestic hazards like ovens and stoves were responsible for 35 incidents.

The more unusual causes included fireworks (37), burning grasslands (34), sparks from locomotives (15) and chimneys (12). Chemical reactions (8), radiation (6), false alarms (5) and a lone case of dust explosion rounded off the list.

In terms of where these fires occurred, data shared by the department said that residential premises topped the charts with 2,045 emergency calls. Other hotspots included storages and warehouses (1,127), shops and commercial outlets (927), factories and industrial units (798) and electric installations (430). Business premises saw 392 calls, while fires at timber or wood works totalled 264.

Fires in institutional buildings, such as schools or colleges, stood at 251, followed by educational buildings (176) and gas-based premises (160). Manufacturing and repair units logged 122 calls, and the figure dropped progressively for places like hospitals (37), libraries (32), airports (18) and hazardous chemical works (8). Even granaries (4), assembly venues (3), temples and fireworks-related spaces (3), theatres (1) and cinemas (1) weren’t entirely spared.

The data also covered calls from the periphery: refuse and outdoor storage areas (605), farms and lands (430), houses under construction (264), forest plantations (192), road vehicles (186) and rail incidents (42).