New Delhi: At least seven people, including six members of a family in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district and a truck driver in Haryana's Gurugram region, died in fire incidents during and after Diwali celebrations. Fire services across several states responded to hundreds of emergency calls, while hospitals reported dozens of burn injuries linked to firecrackers.
A truck driver was burnt alive after his vehicle caught fire in Pataudi, Gurugram, on Diwali night. The truck was parked on the roadside when the blaze broke out, and the flames quickly engulfed the vehicle, leaving the driver with no time to escape.
Police recovered the charred body and sent it for post-mortem examination. The deceased is yet to be identified.
Gurugram and surrounding areas reported 42 fire incidents between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Fires broke out in homes, shops, scrap warehouses and residential buildings, with firecracker sparks and short circuits cited among the causes.
A major blaze gutted a hardware store on Khandsa Road, while fires were also reported in flats at Orchid Crescent and Ansal Esencia residential societies, as well as several shops and scrap yards. Firefighters worked through the night to bring the blazes under control.
The blaze intensified after engulfing plastic items and oil stock stored in the shop on the ground floor. Neighbours tried to enter the house to rescue the occupants but were unsuccessful. One person survived and is in stable condition.
Police identified the deceased as Uttam Karande, Chandrakala Karande, Govind Karande, Gayatri Karande, Jyoti Karande and Siddhi Karande.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established. Preliminary findings suggest it may have been triggered by a 'panati', or small clay oil lamp, lit on the premises.
Gujarat recorded 366 fire-related incidents on Diwali, compared with 55 on normal days, according to data from the 108 emergency medical services. The figure represents an increase of more than 565 per cent. Surat, Ahmedabad and Rajkot accounted for 182 incidents, while 62 burn injury cases were reported across the state.
In Bhavnagar, a fire broke out on the ninth floor of a residential society after a short circuit. Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani alerted fire officials after noticing the blaze. Firefighters brought it under control without any injuries.
In Surat, rescue teams evacuated eight people, including a 100-year-old woman and children, from a fire in a locked flat on the 12th floor of Riverview Heights in Mota Varachha. The occupants were rescued using a hydraulic platform.
Eight fire incidents were reported in Latur city between 7.30 pm and 12.46 am on Diwali. The fires affected a paint shop in Lokhand Galli, open plots near Subhash Chowk and Samvidhan Chowk, a godown near the Udyog Bhavan coaching classes area, a waste collection centre at Gul Market, a footwear company near Aroma Hotel, a house at Amba Hanuman Chowk and an open plot near a Mahindra showroom and Hotel Anil.
Thirty firefighters and eight fire tenders were deployed to tackle the emergencies. All the fires were brought under control, and no casualties were reported, an official said.
Also six members of a family died after a fire broke out at their residence-cum-cloth shop in Yedshi, Dharashiv district, around 2.45 am on Monday. The victims were sleeping on the first floor when the fire spread through the building. They died of suffocation, police said.
The blaze intensified after engulfing plastic items and oil stock stored in the shop on the ground floor. Neighbours tried to enter the house to rescue the occupants but were unsuccessful. One person survived and is in stable condition.
Police identified the deceased as Uttam Karande, Chandrakala Karande, Govind Karande, Gayatri Karande, Jyoti Karande and Siddhi Karande.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established. Preliminary findings suggest it may have been triggered by a 'panati', or small clay oil lamp, lit on the premises.
Delhi Fire Services received 214 fire-related calls during Diwali celebrations on November 8, including 24 incidents linked to firecrackers. Six people were injured in the incidents, while around five firefighters sustained minor injuries during firefighting operations.
Delhi Fire Services Chief AK Malik said the department had received 231 fire-related calls during Diwali last year.
Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, received 42 Diwali-related burn injury cases. Eleven patients suffered major burns requiring hospital admission, while 31 had minor injuries, Dr Maneesh Singhal, head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery, said.
One child was in a very serious condition. Dr Singhal said the hospital had treated several children, including six below the age of 10. Two patients were admitted with potash-related burns, slightly fewer than last year.
Himachal Pradesh's Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) handled 586 emergency incidents on Diwali, its highest single-day count since its inception. Of these, 187 were fire-related, according to the state police.
Despite the high volume of calls, the system maintained an average response time of three minutes and 37 seconds.
Director General of Police Ashok Tewari congratulated the ERSS-112 team, including call takers, dispatchers, supervisors and field-level emergency response personnel, for their work during the festival.
A fire broke out at the Prabhu Plaza shopping complex in Lucknow's Vikas Nagar area on Monday, prompting the deployment of five fire tenders.
The blaze reportedly originated in the building's lower basement and was brought under control in around 30 minutes. No casualties were reported, Lucknow Chief Fire Officer Ankush Mittal said.
(With agency inputs from ANI and PTI)