Tamil Nadu’s fire service attended 27,304 fire accidents in 2024, up from 19,206 in 2022, according to the department’s own five-year table. Chennai’s four fire divisions handled 3,247 of the 2022 fires, about 17% of the state total, and more than 10,500 rescue calls on top of that.
Those rescue calls are the part most residents never hear about. In Chennai, firefighters spend far more time pulling people from wells, lifts, flooded streets and collapsed walls, and freeing trapped animals, than they do fighting fires. Here is what the official data shows, division by division.
Fire accidents in Tamil Nadu, 2020 to 2024
The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services publishes a short five-year summary of fire accidents with the value of property lost and saved and the number of lives lost and saved in fires. These are statewide figures.
| Year | Fire accidents | Property lost (Rs crore) | Property saved (Rs crore) | Lives lost | Lives saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 19,142 | 19.40 | 156.12 | 26 | 44 |
| 2021 | 16,809 | 79.86 | 240.53 | 82 | 182 |
| 2022 | 19,206 | 29.76 | 249.65 | 67 | 71 |
| 2023 | 25,469 | 18.64 | 303.55 | 130 | 198 |
| 2024 | 27,304 | 64.36 | 1,475.93 | 81 | 116 |
Two points jump out. Fire accidents rose by about 42% between 2022 and 2024. And the value of property saved in 2024, Rs 1,475.93 crore, is nearly five times the 2023 figure. The department does not explain the jump on that page, so a few very large saves may account for much of it. Property values in these tables are estimates made by fire officers at the scene, not insurance settlements.
Chennai’s four divisions in 2022
The most recent district-level breakdown is in the Statistical Hand Book of Tamil Nadu 2022-23, which reproduces data from the Director of Fire and Rescue Services up to 31 December 2022. Chennai is split into North, South, Central and Suburban divisions. Fires are graded as serious, medium or small.
| Division (2022) | Stations | Serious | Medium | Small | Total fire calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai North | 9 | 3 | 11 | 561 | 575 |
| Chennai South | 12 | 7 | 15 | 996 | 1,018 |
| Chennai Central | 11 | 3 | 13 | 827 | 843 |
| Chennai Suburban | 10 | 2 | 20 | 789 | 811 |
| Chennai total | 42 | 15 | 59 | 3,173 | 3,247 |
The totals row is simple addition of the four divisions. Nearly 98% of Chennai’s fire calls in 2022 were classed as small: a burning garbage heap, a transformer spark, a kitchen fire caught early. Only 15 were serious. Chennai South, which also has the most stations of the four divisions, had the most calls, while Chennai North had the fewest.
The handbook puts the property lost to fire across the four divisions at about Rs 2.5 crore in 2022 and property saved at about Rs 64 crore (again, adding the four divisions). Two people died in fires in Chennai that year, one each in the North and South divisions.
Rescue calls outnumber fires three to one
The same table counts rescue work separately. Statewide, the service took 83,916 rescue calls in 2022, saved 6,275 people and recorded 2,481 deaths in rescue incidents. It also saved 44,997 animals.
| Division (2022) | Rescue calls | People saved | Deaths | Animals saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai North | 1,231 | 117 | 16 | 478 |
| Chennai South | 2,826 | 193 | 76 | 1,542 |
| Chennai Central | 2,562 | 125 | 25 | 1,657 |
| Chennai Suburban | 3,963 | 220 | 87 | 2,590 |
Added up, Chennai’s divisions handled 10,582 rescue calls in 2022, more than three times the number of fire calls. They saved 655 people and 6,267 animals. Rescue deaths include drownings in lakes, quarries and the sea, where the fire service is often called to recover bodies, so the death column should not be read as failed rescues. The handbook’s column headings in this section are slightly unclear, so treat the split between columns as indicative.
How many fire stations Chennai has
The Fire and Rescue Services Policy Note 2023-24 lists 364 stations across the state, including three exclusive rescue stations. Chennai has 43 of them: 10 in North, 12 in South, 10 in Central and 10 in Suburban, plus a rescue station at the Marina. A new station at Kolathur in the North division was among six opened in that period, which is why the count is one higher than in the 2022 handbook.
The department had 8,069 personnel on its executive and ministerial strength and 4,956 trained safety volunteers in that policy note.
How to call for help
- Dial 101 for the fire service, or 112, the single emergency number. Under the state’s integrated system, fire calls are received and dispatched through the State Emergency Response Centre.
- Chennai has a dedicated fire control room. Give the exact address, a nearby landmark and whether anyone is trapped.
- Rescue calls are not limited to fires. Call for people trapped in lifts or wells, fallen trees on vehicles, flooding and animals in distress.
Quick answers
How many fire accidents does Tamil Nadu have a year?
27,304 in 2024, according to the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, up from 25,469 in 2023.
How many fire calls does Chennai get?
3,247 in 2022 across its four fire divisions, the latest district-level count in the state statistical handbook.
How many fire stations are there in Chennai?
43, including the Marina rescue station, as listed in the 2023-24 policy note.
What number do I call for a fire in Chennai?
101, or the integrated emergency number 112.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
