Delhi: Fire dept records least number of emergency calls on Diwali in 12 years

Of the total 152 calls, 117 were related to fire incidents in the city, and remaining 35 were related to other emergencies such as rescuing animals and birds, and road accidents, senior fire officials said. Only four were fires caused by the bursting of crackers

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) on Friday said they received 152 calls--the lowest number of calls related to fire and other emergencies on Diwali in the past 12 years, and nearly 32% less than the calls received on Diwali last year.

People burst fire crackers at Patel Nagar on Diwali. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

Of the total calls, 117 were related to fire incidents in the city, while the remaining 35 were related to other emergencies such as rescuing animals and birds, and road accidents, senior fire officials said. Among the 117 fire-related calls, four were about fires caused by the bursting of crackers while 35 were related to garbage fires. No major fire or casualty was reported from anywhere in the city till midnight, they added.

“The 152 calls were received between the midnights of Wednesday and Thursday. The number was the lowest since 2010; that year, our control room received 169 calls. Last year, we received 222 calls,” said Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg, attributing the dip in such calls to the precautions taken by the public while dealing with fire and crackers, and the various public awareness campaigns carried out by the fire department before Diwali celebrations.

“For us (the fire department), it’s a positive sign, which also suggests that people are becoming more aware of fire safety, and handling fire-related items with care during Diwali. We thank Delhiites for making us believe that awareness campaigns are showing positive results. This time, we deployed nearly 3,000 firefighters and 200 fire vehicles to deal with emergencies. We also deployed vehicles at 30 different locations in the city apart from the 64 existing fire stations,” said Garg.

According to the fire department, the number of fire-related calls usually increases during Diwali, mainly due to people bursting firecrackers, not taking adequate precautions when lighting earthen lamps or candles, and not checking for loose wires while putting up decoration lights.

According to the DFS data, most fire and emergency calls (36) were reported between 8pm and 10pm on Thursday. The lowest number of calls (7) was received between 2pm and 4pm.

According to the DSF, there was a fire reported from a factory outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri area on Thursday night. The tiles stored in the basement, artificial flowers stored on the first floor and shoe manufacturing material kept on the second floor of the factory caught fire. Eight fire tenders were sent to douse the flames. No one was injured, the fire officials said.

Another fire was reported from the servant quarters of the residence of the director of Doordarshan at Pandara Road in Lutyen’s Delhi around 2am Thursday. The fire department chief said that four fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

“Six people were rescued by the public and the firefighters. One woman was sent to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, as she had inhaled a lot of smoke. All were safe,” said a police officer, who did not want to be named.