Smoke barriers, refuge areas: Delhi notifies new fire safety rules
The Delhi government has notified updated Fire Service Rules to mandate stricter safety measures in high-rise buildings, including smoke barriers and refuge areas. These rules align local standards with the Unified Building Bye-Laws to improve accountability and fire safety.
Why it matters
This regulatory update is a direct response to recent fatal fire tragedies, aiming to modernize safety infrastructure in a densely populated urban environment.
The Delhi government has amended its Fire Service Rules, mandating a comprehensive overhaul of building safety measures in the wake of recent tragedies, including the Malviya Nagar hotel fire that claimed 23 lives.
The updated regulations mandate six-metre fire engine access, protected exits, fire lifts, sprinkler and fire-suppression systems, smoke barriers, emergency power backups, fire control rooms, fire check floors and refuge areas among other key safety requirements that all high-rise buildings should fulfil.
The Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified by the Home Department on Friday, align building fire safety standards directly with the updated Unified Building Bye-Laws (UBBL).
The minimum safety standards applicable to buildings will be linked to their height and class of occupancy and governed by the building bylaws.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood said the revised framework was aimed at making fire safety standards more modern, mandatory and accountable.
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