Guwahati: Nagaland’s Dimapur recorded 59 fire incidents between January and December 2025, with short circuits emerging as the primary cause, official fire station data showed.
The incidents caused an estimated property loss of about Rs 6.88 crore and affected more than 500 families, while no fatalities were reported.
Data compiled from the Central and West Fire Stations indicated that non-Naga residents suffered the most damage, with a majority of fires occurring in kaccha houses. April reported the highest number of incidents at nine, followed by October with seven cases. Authorities recorded just one incident in May, while they reported no fires in June.
Fire officials said electrical faults accounted for over half of the cases, with short circuits alone responsible for 26 incidents. Other causes included open flames, waste burning, gas leakage and incidents of unknown origin. Fires linked to short circuits affected residential colonies, commercial establishments and public institutions, underscoring ongoing concerns over electrical safety.
A large number of cases between January and October fell under the “unknown cause” category.
Officials noted that routine human activities such as burning waste, smoking meat, clearing bushes, cooking, using LPG cylinders, and suspected arson or burglary triggered several incidents.
The Central Fire Station provided assistance to West Dimapur on four occasions and extended support to neighbouring Assam in another four instances, reflecting the scale of some emergencies.
Cause-wise data showed 24 fires of unknown origin, six cases related to open burning activities, two incidents caused by gas leakage and one suspected arson or burglary case, taking the total to 59. In terms of severity, officials classified 28 incidents as major, four as medium, 25 as minor and two as jungle fires.
In neighbouring Chümoukedima district, authorities reported around 20 fire incidents during the same period, most of them forest or jungle fires. These incidents caused property and environmental losses estimated at Rs 2.96 crore, according to official records.