Fires galore, but probe hit by shortage of fire forensic engineers

Time of India

22-05-2025

Hyderabad: While the state records roughly 7,000 fires every year, the fire department has no fire forensic engineer to conduct a thorough investigation and determine the precise cause of fire.
In fact, there is only one forensic fire engineer (independent) serving both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Following the inferno at a residential-commercial complex near Gulzar Houz which resulted in 17 fatalities, the fire department engaged two independent fire forensic engineers – D Mahipal Reddy from Hyderabad and Nilesh Ukunde from Nagpur – three days after the incident to zero in on the exact cause. The fire department's preliminary findings had indicated a short circuit in the AC compressor as the source of the fire.
The independent forensic engineers' investigation revealed that the fire began due to an electrical short circuit in the inverter circuit in Krishna Pearls. They found that normal power was off at the time of the fire, but the secondary power supply was still present in the circuit through the inverter.
"Their is a limited pool of around100 fire forensic engineers in the country. Despite many engineering graduates from the National Fire Service College in Nagpur, only a few choose fire forensic engineering as their career as it requires a lot of patience and commitment.
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Moreover, fire investigation poses unique challenges compared to criminal investigations," Mahipal Reddy told TOI.
According to officials, in most cases, fire incidents are investigated and causes determined within a couple of days. However, for major fire accidents with fatalities, such as the Bazaar Ghat blaze in Nampally that took 10 lives and the Bhoiguda incident where 12 died, the fire department had sought assistance from the police Clues team.
But the Gulzar Houz fire was particularly complex, requiring fire forensic engineers to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the accident, officials said.
"Fire engineering expertise is essential for the department's operations. However, we have very few practising consultants in this field across the country, and they do not show inclination to join departmental service. These experts typically opt for private sector organisations, particularly petroleum companies. The department engages their services when specific requirements arise," said Y Nagi Reddy, director general, fire services.