(UPSC Ethics Simplified is a special series under UPSC Essentials by The Indian Express that examines current affairs and static concepts through the lens of ethics and governance. Today’s article asks: What do recurring fire tragedies tell us about public service ethics, institutional accountability, and the duty to safeguard citizens’ right to life?) Recent, recurring fire incidents have created an alarming situation across the country. While every tragedy draws attention to lapses in infrastructure and disaster management, the larger concern lies elsewhere. What does it say about governance when preventable fires continue to claim lives? More importantly, when such incidents become routine rather than exceptional, they cease to be merely administrative failures and become ethical failures. For UPSC aspirants, fire incidents should not be viewed only through the lens of disaster management. They offer an excellent opportunity to understand core concepts of GS Paper IV, including duty, accountability, integrity, justice, empathy and ethical leadership. Every major fire raises a fundamental question: What are the normative foundations of public service ethics? The normative foundations of public …