Watch Out! Your Ac Can Start Afire

Cases Of Air-Conditioners Sparking Fires In Delhi On The Rise. Excessive Use Without Regular Maintenance Can Be Lethal

- Ram Kinkar Singh

IT IS supposed to provide respite from scorching heat and be a source for ‘creature comfort’. But in the absence of regular maintenance and proper servicing, your air-conditioner can end up triggering a deadly blaze.

Air-conditioners ignite more than 15% fires in Delhi every year, say government officials. On August 17, a major fire broke out at the teaching block of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). It took more than six hours and 22 fire tenders to control the fire. Officials said ACs installed on different floors acted as a catalyst in spreading the blaze.

Six people, including two children, died in a fire that broke out at a four-storey residential building in South-East Delhi’s Zakir Nagar on August 5. Fire department officials said that it was ignited by a shortcircuit malfunction in one of the many airconditioners installed in the building.

On May 6 last year, a 10-year-old boy and his eight-year-old sister died after their house, a four-storey building in North West Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, caught fire owing to a spark in the AC installed in the room.

Says Delhi Fire Chief Atul Garg: “We have found that more than 15% cases of fire in Delhi start from air-conditioners.”