The Kuwait Fire Service Directorate conducted targeted inspections across Farwaniya that identified fire safety violations at multiple sites and led to the administrative closure of 24 facilities, the directorate said in a statement. Inspectors cited the absence of approved fire prevention systems and blocked emergency pathways among the breaches that prompted immediate enforcement action. The directorate noted that owners must correct all deficiencies and obtain clearance through re-inspection before the facilities may resume operations.
Kuwait’s civil defence authority put the death toll from the June 2024 Mangaf fire at 49 workers, an incident that accelerated systematic reviews of accommodation and commercial buildings nationwide. The directorate has carried out repeated campaigns in the intervening period, with cumulative actions closing hundreds of non-compliant sites according to aggregated enforcement summaries. Farwaniya operations form one element of this sustained focus on hazard reduction across governorates.
Directorate records from the Farwaniya campaign list more than 50 premises visited, with the 24 closures reserved for cases of severe or multiple infractions while lesser violations received formal notices and deadlines for remediation. Affected facilities include both commercial outlets and mixed-use structures where safety equipment either was missing or had lapsed beyond regulatory thresholds. The statement directed all operators in the governorate to review their compliance status ahead of future unannounced visits.
A parallel inspection series in Hawally produced the closure of 26 facilities for comparable safety breaches, Times Kuwait reported in a related dispatch. The Kuwait Fire Service Directorate coordinates such drives with other interior ministry units to cover high-density commercial zones where fire risks can spread rapidly. Further governorate-level campaigns remain scheduled through the remainder of 2026 under the same enforcement framework.
Public Authority for Civil Information figures place Kuwait’s expatriate population at roughly 3.3 million, many of whom reside in or work within buildings subject to these fire safety audits. The directorate has instructed inspected parties to install required detection devices, maintain clear evacuation corridors and train staff on emergency response procedures. Additional enforcement actions will address any premises that fail to meet correction timelines outlined in the inspection reports.
