318 fire-related calls on Diwali

The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) on Thursday responded to over 300 fire-related incidents on Diwali, although no severe injuries or life-threatening cases were reported, officials said on Friday.

Over 280 burn cases reported

• Several hospitals in Delhi reported over 280 cases of burn injuries, largely caused by firecrackers, on Diwali.
• Safdarjung Hospital, which has the largest burn unit in the country, recorded the highest number with 117 cases on Thursday, followed by 48 at AIIMS, and 19 at LNJP Hospital.
• Of the total patients, 102 suffered minor burns and were treated on an outpatient basis, while 15 patients with major burns were admitted, according to hospital authorities.

“This year, we received 318 fire-related calls. The number is the highest in the last 13 years. We were also fully prepared to tackle any and every situation with the deployment of all fire units and officials. We cancelled all leaves and were ready to help everyone across the city,” DFS Director Atul Garg said.

Last year, the Fire Department received 208 fire and emergency calls. In previous years: 2022—201, 2021—152, 2020—205, 2019—245, 2018—271, 2017—204, 2016—243, 2015—290, 2014—211, 2013—177, and 2012—184 calls.

According to the data of the DFS, during peak hours from 6 pm to 11.59 pm on Thursday, the department received 176 calls, and from 1 am to 6 am on Friday, firefighters dealt with 144. Meanwhile, last year, during 6 pm to 11.59 pm, there were 123 calls and 72 calls during 1 am to 6 am on Friday.

To enhance safety this Diwali, the DFS increased its fire personnel, which helped prevent major incidents, officials said. However, minor fires were reported, including one in Vikaspuri, where two people became unconscious and another in Mangolpuri where a woman and two children were injured, Garg added.

The DFS also received an alert about a blast on a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus in Najafgarh involving potash, an inflammable material used in firecrackers. Garg said, “There was a call from the Najafgarh area... that a man was carrying potash in a DTC bus, in which a blast took place, resulting in injuries to two people. Fire tenders responded promptly to contain the incident.”

A separate incident involving firecrackers on a DTC bus also led to minor injuries for a passenger and a co-passenger. In Dwarka, a fire broke out in a DTC bus in Dwarka district, wherein a passenger was travelling in a bus carrying a small quantity of crackers, which caught fire. Both injured individuals were taken to hospital.