Emergency calls gone wrong | Firefighters rush to the wrong location due to network glitch in Kerala

Kozhikode: A recent fire at a shop in Ponnani led to confusion in emergency response, with firefighters initially being sent to Kozhikode Beach by mistake. The Beach Fire Station had received a panicked call reporting a hotel fire on the beach and requesting urgent help.

When firefighters asked for the exact location, the caller responded that the hotel was “right behind your office”. Acting swiftly, the fire crew mobilised and drove the Mobile Tank Unit (MTU) back and forth along Kozhikode Beach in search of the fire. However, no trace of any blaze could be found.

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Later, one of the firefighters called back the number from which the alert had been received and enquired about the location. The caller reportedly responded angrily, asking why it had taken so long to reach a shop “right behind the Ponnani Fire Station”. It was then realised that the emergency call had been received in Kozhikode instead of Ponnani.

Firefighters at the Beach Station say they have been dealing with such misrouted emergency calls for some time. According to them, calls to the emergency number 101 from various parts of the state sometimes get routed to the landline number 2723051 at the Kozhikode Beach Fire Station due to a technical issue in the network.

Despite repeated complaints to mobile service providers, the problem remains unresolved. Beach Station Fire Officer K. Arun said these misplaced calls create significant operational difficulties for rescue teams.