Trend summary
- NCRB recorded 5,888 fire accident deaths in 2024, about a third of the 2015 figure. Most fires happen in homes.
- Fires in shops, factories, hospitals and other non-home buildings killed 450 people in 2024, slightly more than in 2023.
- Satellites counted 203,544 forest fire hotspots in the 2023-24 season, down from 345,989 in 2020-21.
Deaths fallingHome fires
5,888 fire accident deaths in 2024; 3,585 fires were in homes and other residential buildings.
Deaths edging upBuilding fires
450 deaths in fires at shops, factories, schools and public buildings in 2024, up from 432 (NCRB).
Down from 2021 peakWildfires
203,544 forest fire hotspots in 2023-24, down from 345,989 in the 2020-21 season.
How this page is built. Figures come from the official statistical releases linked above; where agencies publish provisional numbers we say so, because they are revised. Many Indian statistics are compiled state by state and published a year or two late (NCRB’s accident report for 2024 came out in 2026), so we say which year each figure covers. Large numbers are written in international form, with lakh (100,000) and crore (10 million) in brackets where Indian sources use them. Photos are public-domain or Creative Commons images credited in each caption; file photos are illustrative and are not from the events described unless the caption says so. This page tracks trends and is not personal safety, medical, legal or financial advice.