www.sefindia.org

[Sanket Mali]

Dear Structural Engineers,

   While browsing through a few major news papers in past 6 months myself and my team members realized frequently published reports on fire incidences in several residential and commercial structures. I was wondering about the causes and effects of these frequent fire cases and obviously the remedies on such reoccurring cases. Many of the cases were due to causes like - 1) Bursting of crackers, 2) short circuits, 3) Cylinder / inflammable content bursting, 4) Lapses in fire fighting system, 5) Use of combustible materials in interior decoration etc...

   Certainly these cases disturbed my sense of engineering and desire to deliver safe and resilient structures. After analyzing fire incidences in past 5 months in 3 major metro cities i.e., Mumbai, Delhi & Kolkata it was understood that everyday about 2-3 fire cases are reported. This no of daily fire incidences is about 53 cases/day considering entire nation (out of these, 23% cases occur in Maharashtra alone).

   Summary of a few major fire incidences in past 5 months and general analysis of fire cases is enclosed.

   Your valuable opinion will help me to explore this subject to a greater depth.

Regards
Sanket Mali
Design Engineer
SGAWings Consultant, Mumbai
www.sgawings.com

[Anand_Kher]

Very interesting study on an all important aspect of Fire safety of structures.Sadly this becomes a highlight and hot topic of discussion when a Fire Incidence happens.Thanks for piloting a very sensitive topic of Fire Safety!!!
On Tue, May 13, 2025, 7:11 PM Sanket Mali <forum@sefindia.org (forum@sefindia.org)> wrote:

[Sanket Mali]

Resp. Sir,

   Thank you very much for your moral boosting words. At www.sgawings.com we are committed for delivery of safe, efficient / functional, economic and timely designs / drawings. While constantly striving towards fulfilling this goal me and my colleagues observe non compliance at various stages (merely to save cost-EPC Culture / hide facts / managerially inefficient / disregards to engineering fundamentals / Insensitivity to human life etc.).

I started my career as a structural Designer about a year back. Since then while discussing projects, reading local newspapers, attending technical workshops i realized the importance of fire safety which made me to write this post below.
  
   I am looking for more enlightening inputs regarding this topic from senior mentors like you and others.

Regards
Er. Sanket Mali
SGAWings Consultant, Mumbai.

[vikram.jeet]

FIRE IS A GOOD SERVANT,, BUT BAD MASTER ,,

So long as fire is in our Control, it works for us like cooking,, boiling and so on. But if it takes control over us,,  it destroys and kills.

Causes of Fire are commonly :-

Short circuiting

Welding sparks,

Acute summer - Plastic scraps pick quick fire from even bidi, cigarette, thrown unconsciously,,

Forest Fires

Negligience  -

Combustible materials  


Structures can not be designed for UNLIMITED FIRE,  BUT FOR SPECIFIED HOURS TO FIRE EXPOSURES ,,

THICKNESS OF RCC MEMBERS,, THE CLEAR COVER TO REINFORCEMENT , , CONC MIX,, FINISHES ETC ARE THE FACTORS TO BE TAKEN CARE WHILE STRUCTURAL DESIGN,,

BUT ALL PRECAUTIONS NEED TO BE TAKEN TO AVOID FIRES 🔥🔥.