DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN IOT BASED INTELLIGENT FIRE DETECTOR AND ALARM SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Fire outbreaks remain a major concern globally, causing loss of life, destruction of property, and disruption of social and economic activities. Conventional fire alarm systems, while useful, often have limitations such as delayed detection, frequent false alarms, and lack of remote monitoring capabilities. These shortcomings make them less reliable in environments where quick response is critical. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), there is a growing opportunity to design intelligent systems that integrate advanced sensing technologies with real-time communication to improve fire safety management. This study focused on the design, development, and testing of an IoT-based intelligent fire detector and alarm system that leverages sensor fusion to enhance accuracy and responsiveness. The system incorporated four key sensors: MQ-2 smoke sensor, MQ-5 gas sensor, LM35 temperature sensor, and KY-026 flame sensor, all interfaced with an ESP32 microcontroller. To ensure comprehensive and reliable alerts, the system employed a multi-channel communication approach, including a buzzer, LED indicators, LCD display, GSM module for SMS alerts, and IoT connectivity via the Thing Speak cloud platform. Testing under simulated fire conditions revealed that the system responded rapidly and consistently, with average local alarm activation within 2–3 seconds and remote notifications delivered in 5–7 seconds. The multi-sensor fusion approach reduced false alarms by requiring multiple hazard confirmations before triggering alerts, thereby improving reliability compared to single-sensor systems.