Nagaland: Dimapur records 59 fire incidentsin 2025; short circuits leading cause

Short circuits remained the leading cause of fire accidents in Dimapur in 2025, with the district recording 59 incidents between January and December, official fire station data revealed. Non-Naga residents were the most affected, with a majority of cases involving kaccha houses.
Data compiled from fire official reports of the Central and West fire stations showed that the highest number of incidents was recorded in April (nine cases), followed by October (seven), while May recorded only one case and no incidents were reported in June. The fires resulted in estimated property losses of around Rs 6.88 crore and affected over 500 families. No loss of life was reported.
According to data shared with Nagaland Post, while short circuits were the leading cause of fires, other incidents were triggered by open flames, burning of waste and unknown causes. Electrical faults accounted for more than half of the incidents reported across both fire stations.
Fires caused by short circuits occurred in residential colonies, commercial establishments and public institutions, highlighting persistent gaps in electrical safety.
A significant number of incidents between January and October were categorised as having “unknown causes.” Several fires were linked to routine human activities such as waste burning, smoking meat, bush clearing, cooking, use of LPG cylinders, and suspected cases of arson or burglary-related incidents.
The Central Fire Station extended assistance to West Dimapur on four occasions and to neighbouring Assam on another four occasions, indicating the scale of some incidents that required joint response.
A cause-wise summary of the incidents showed 26 cases caused by short circuits, 24 cases of unknown origin, six cases linked to open burning activities such as waste burning, bush clearing, smoking meat and frying oil, two cases due to gas leakage, and one suspected case of arson or burglary, totalling 59 incidents.
In terms of severity, 28 incidents were classified as major, four as medium, 25 as minor and two as jungle fires, officials said.
In Chümoukedima district, around 20 fire incidents were reported during the period, most of which were forest/jungle fire incidents. According to official reports, the incidents resulted in property/environmental losses estimated at Rs 2.96 crore.