Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Fire Service will intensify its inspection of shopping malls and other establishments such as hospitals and hotels in the wake of series of fire mishaps in the state.

Recently a fire broke out in a shopping mall in Cuttack on Sunday gutting properties worth lakhs.

Officials in the fire prevention wing said that so far they had inspected few of such establishments in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur and Dhenkanal. However, the teams have found glairing loopholes in the fire-safety measures by such establishments.

According to the norms, hotels and other establishments need to have several fire-fighting measures, including wet riser, hose reel, automatic sprinkler system and yard hydrants. Similarly, these establishments need to have terrace tanks, fire pimp, auto-detection system, illuminated exit signs, manual operated electrical fire alarm system, hose boxes with delivery hoses and branch. Besides, the establishment needs to have sufficient space for evacuation and operations of fire tenders as well.

"Evacuation is the most vital process in case of any emergency. But, most of the establishments inspected so far don't have proper exit signage. Besides, the employees of those establishments were also found lacking the knowledge of using fire extinguishers, which can prevent minor fire from spreading," said an official.

The Odisha Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Rules came into force on October 4 and under the rules it is mandatory for establishments such as hospitals, nursing homes, cinema halls and malls to adhere to the fire safety norms.