City safety guide

Kumbakonam Fire and Emergency Safety Guide

Kumbakonam is a temple town on the Cauvery delta, home to the Mahamaham festival and the place where a school fire in 2004 took 94 children. This guide puts the emergency numbers, the fire stations and the main local risks on one page, with past incidents from Kumbakonam.

Checked 20 Oct 2026 against official sources. Incidents update automatically. Emergency card for the fridge or your phone

1incidents covered

94deaths reported

21injured reported

112Emergency 101Fire 108Ambulance 100Police

0435-2431101 Kumbakonam Fire StationTamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, from its station list updated October 2026 1077 Thanjavur District Control RoomToll free disaster helpline. The collectorate is also 04362-230121 0435-2430101 Kumbakonam RDO OfficeRevenue Divisional Officer, Kumbakonam (district telephone directory)

112: Tamil Nadu's single emergency number for police, fire and ambulance · 108: The district lists 108 for accidents and 102 as the ambulance line · 100: Also reachable through 112

Printable Kumbakonam emergency card: A4 sheet with national and local emergency numbers and cut-out wallet cards

Take these numbers with you

Print the Kumbakonam emergency card for the fridge or the front door, and cut out the wallet cards. It holds 112, 101, the ambulance and police numbers, and the Kumbakonam fire, disaster and civic numbers from this guide. There are blank lines for your family contacts and the nearest hospital.

Download city emergency card (PDF, 0.9 MB, opens in a new tab) Save as phone picture (WebP, 79 KB, made for a phone lock screen)

Checked 20 October 2026. Numbers can change; re-check them before you rely on them.

Latest incidents in Kumbakonam

Krishna School Building Fire Tragedy16 Jul 2004 · 94 dead · 21 injured

Open the full Incident Map

Local risks in Kumbakonam

School fire safety

On 16 July 2004, a fire from the midday-meal kitchen of a private school spread to the thatched roof and killed 94 children (the district plan counts 93). The district disaster plan calls it a three-storey school in a congested street where all safety norms were flouted.

Mahamaham and festival crowds

The Mahamaham bathing at the temple tank comes once in twelve years, and Masi Maham brings crowds every year. On 18 February 1992, a crush at the tank killed an estimated 50 pilgrims and injured 74.

Cauvery and Coleroon floods

The district plan says floods in the Cauvery and Coleroon and in the north-east monsoon are common here, and lists 24 flood-vulnerable spots in Kumbakonam taluk. In August 2022, Mettur released 1.75 lakh cusecs and Thanjavur was among 12 districts on flood alert.

Hut and street fires with gas cylinders

In July 2017, a fire in Papanasam spread through a street and two gas cylinders exploded, so engines had to come from Kumbakonam and three other stations. In July 2016, wind carried a fire through huts at Thiruvaiyaru, and a man died.

Fire stations in Kumbakonam

9 stations, as published by Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services. Tap Call to ring the station office.

Station	Area	Contact
Thanjavur Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Thanjavur	Call04362-238301
Kumbakonam Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Kumbakonam	Call0435-2431101
Pattukottai Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Pattukottai	Call04373-222101
Orathanadu Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Orathanadu	Call04372-233422
Peravurani Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Peravurani	Call04373-232401
Papanasam Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Papanasam	Call04374-222101
Thiruvaiyaru Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Thiruvaiyaru	Call04362-260101
Thirukattupalli Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Thirukattupalli	Call04362-280401
Thiruvidaimarudur Fire Station	Thanjavur district · Thiruvidaimarudur	Call0435-2460101

The nine stations of Thanjavur district, as listed by Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (page last updated 16 October 2026). In an emergency, call 112 or 101 first; station lines are office numbers.

Stay safe: quick checklist

Save 112, 101 and 108 in your phone today, along with the Kumbakonam fire station line, 0435-2431101, and the district helpline, 1077.
If your child's school has a thatched or tin roof, a kitchen under the same roof or only one staircase, ask the management in writing about fire clearance, and ask to see a drill.
At a school or temple kitchen, keep the stove away from thatch, bamboo and cloth, and keep a bucket of sand and a working extinguisher within reach.

At Mahamaham or any big temple festival, enter and leave on the marked routes, keep children's hands held, and move out sideways if the crowd starts pushing.
When Mettur or the Cauvery is in spate, stay off the river bank and bathing ghats, and move children and valuables from low-lying streets before the water rises.
Cool the burn under cool, clean running water for 20 minutes. Even 10 minutes helps if that's all you can manage. No ice, toothpaste, oil or butter.

Related safety guides

Kumbakonam at a glance

Corporation area: 14.18 sq km (Kumbakonam City Municipal Corporation)
Population: 1,40,113 (Census 2011)
Fire stations in the district: Nine, including Kumbakonam, Thiruvidaimarudur and Papanasam
School fire: 16 July 2004: 94 children died at Krishna School
Emergency system: Tamil Nadu's Dial 112; fire is 101; district helpline 1077