The city reported a total of 40 incidents of fire, including a major one, during the five days of Diwali celebrations this year. This is almost double the number of fires that was reported during Diwali last year. However, no deaths or injuries were reported during these mishaps. The Mumbai fire brigade said that all of these fires were caused due to firecrackers, lamps being lit and negligence during the celebrations.
Data from the Mumbai fire brigade reveals that the maximum number of fires took place in the western suburbs, where 18 fires were reported in 72 hours, followed by the eastern suburbs and city areas, where there were 12 fires each.
The maximum number of fires was reported on the day of Laxmi Pujan on Sunday. The chief fire officer of the fire brigade, P. Rahangdale, said, “Two very serious fire calls came simultaneously, one of which was a level 4 call that came on Sunday evening. These were followed by another major fire on Sunday itself. Even though the fire brigade was on stand-by, attending to so many fires at the same time proved to be a challenge.”
A senior official from the fire brigade said the department had anticipated fires during three important days of Diwali, following Laxmi Pujan. Since several fires are caused due to firecrackers, even the nature of these mishaps can be predicted. The official said, “The maximum number of fires occur in go-downs and inside houses on Laxmi Pujan. On other days, there are fires on terraces and balconies due to firecrackers being burst.”
Even though sales and incidences of firecrackers being burst reduced by almost 50 per cent this year, accidents due to fire increased. The fire brigade official quoted above said, “We had issued guidelines before Diwali, enlisting precautions to be taken while bursting firecrackers and lighting lamps. These included the kind of material to be used for clothing and the amount of distance to be maintained from a building or balcony while bursting a cracker.”
