MORE THAN 300 FIRE CALLS THIS YEAR
Meanwhile, soaring temperatures have further heightened the risks of infernos.
From January to June this year, fire stations in Delhi have responded to more than 330 calls. In comparison, they responded to 550 calls in the whole of last year.
The heatwave this year, with temperatures regularly rising past 45 degrees Celsius, has sent Delhi’s power consumption through the roof.
Mr Kapoor said that air-conditioning units and electricity wires can fail when ambient air temperatures start rising.
“The same can happen with transformers, because you have too many air-conditioning units running on transformers, and the transformers are not equipped to take so much load. They will surely burn out,” he added.
Many residents worry that worse blazes are imminent.
“Officials will only wake up when there is a big incident. Before that, they go about minding their own business,” New Delhi resident Bhoora Singh told CNA.
“Only when something big happens will they gather to act. (A few days) later, they will once again forget all about safety,” he added.
