Most schools and kindergartens in Tehran remain at serious risk of fire, with only three out of more than 6,400 meeting minimum safety standards, a senior fire department official said on Saturday.
Kamran Abdoli, deputy head of the Tehran Fire Department for prevention, said schools have lagged far behind hospitals, offices, and newer residential buildings in meeting safety requirements. He blamed chronic underfunding and weak oversight for the failure.
“Compared to other buildings, schools have made little progress in improving safety,” Abdoli told ISNA. “Funding shortages and neglect of safety regulations are the main reasons for this situation.”
He said the city’s fire department had repeatedly inspected schools and issued safety instructions, but only 43 safety files had been formally opened and just three had been approved. “We’ve provided the guidelines and even offered to phase the upgrades to make them affordable, but implementation has been minimal,” he said.
Abdoli warned that the lack of fire alarms, faulty wiring, and unsafe heating equipment were behind most past school fires, adding that small, low-cost measures like staff fire safety training could prevent future tragedies.
The official called for greater cooperation between the Education Ministry, school administrators, and private donors to fund safety upgrades. “With the current structure of schools, safety improvements actually cost less than in other buildings,” he said. “What we need most is determination and follow-through from officials.”
Broader safety crisis in the capital
His warning comes amid wider safety concerns in the capital. Last year, Tehran’s Fire Department identified 18,000 “high-risk” buildings, citing major incidents such as the Plasco Tower collapse in 2017, which killed 20 firefighters, and the 2024 Gandhi Hospital fire.
Officials say thousands of older buildings — including schools, dormitories, and training centers — have been converted from other uses without upgrades to handle larger crowds. Abdoli said this makes evacuation difficult and heightens the risk of mass casualties in the event of a fire.
“The city cannot afford another tragedy,” he said. “Ensuring fire safety in schools must become a national priority.”
