Mumbai: 27 incidents in a day, safety measures ignored, city sees surge in fire calls

A fire broke out in the Abhyudaya Bank building in Kurla. Pic/Twitter

Firecrackers not only contribute to air and sound pollution but also pose a fire hazard. On Laxmipujan day, the city witnessed 27 fires attributed to firecrackers, while last Diwali saw 64 fire calls linked to their use.

Despite the high court's directive to limit cracker bursting to two hours (8 pm to 10 pm), this was not followed, contributing to the increased number of fires. The city averages 14 fires per day, and this Diwali, there were 27 fire incidents in one day due to firecrackers, in addition to incidents caused by electric short circuits and other reasons. Fires were reported in Kurla, Dahisar, Kandivli, and other suburbs.

People burst firecrackers on Nehru Road at Saraswat Colony, Dombivli East on Sunday. Pic/Satej Shinde

An official from the Mumbai Fire Brigade emphasised the need for caution during Diwali, saying, "The number of fires increase during Diwali days mostly due to crackers but sometimes even due to lamps/diyas or electric overload." In comparison to the average of 60 fire incidents reported annually (except for 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic), last year saw an increase after the festival was celebrated in full form.

During last Diwali, out of 155 calls from October 22 to October 27, 64 were due to firecrackers. The maximum number of calls came on October 24 (Laxmi Puja day). The carelessness continued on October 25, with 12 fires reported due to burning crackers, and 10 fires on October 26 (New Year and Bhai Dooj).

BMC's waste burning helpline flooded with 23 complaints: Dharavi tops the list

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) received 23 complaints of waste burning after launching a dedicated helpline for such issues. The majority, seven complaints, were reported from Dharavi. In an effort to combat air pollution, the civic body initiated a dedicated helpline number for registering waste-burning complaints on Saturday. The option "Burning of waste" has been added to the complaint submission tab of the BMC's "Chief Minister Clean Mumbai Helpline: 81696-81697" WhatsApp service number.

"In the last two days - Saturday and Sunday - we have received a total of 23 complaints," stated an official from the BMC. "Seven complaints originated from Dharavi, all from nearly the same area. We requested the police to intervene as it also poses a law and order situation," added an official from G North ward. Additionally, there were four complaints from Bandra West and three complaints each from Wadala, Bandra, and Bhandup. Out of the 23 complaints, 11 have been addressed, while 12 are still pending.

Safety Measures While Bursting Crackers

>> Wear cotton clothes
>> Keep firecrackers away from children
>> Wear footwear
>> Keep a bucket of water nearby
>> Use incense sticks or sparklers
Avoid while bursting crackers:
>> Avoid bursting inside buildings or on stairs
>> Do not use matchsticks or lighters
>> Avoid bursting near trees, electric wires or tall buildings
>> Do not light lamps/diyas near window screens
>> Avoid bursting near electric wires, gas pipelines or parking lots
>> Avoid overloading electrical wiring connections while lighting buildings

14
No of fires city averages in a day