194 Fire, Emergency Calls Received By Delhi Fire Service On Diwali, 25% Less Than Last Year
A total 194 calls for reporting fire and other emergencies were received by Fire Service Department in the national capital on the occasion of Diwali, yesterday, which is 25 per cent less compared to last year, said Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Services.
As many as 152 calls were received by 12 am and 42 calls were received from 12.01 am to 7 am. Fire chief Atul Garg said four of the cases reported were caused due to crackers.
"Fewer firecrackers this year"??
¡°Many fires resulted from lighting and diyas,¡± he said, adding that a large number of these were instances of garbage catching fire, probably because firecrackers fell on it..
"About 36 more fire calls were received post-midnight and all of them were in the category of 'normal' fire.?A total of four calls are suspected to be connected with firecrackers. No serious fire incident occurred on Diwali. No major fire calls have been received," he noted.
"People burst fewer firecrackers this year," he added.?He said Thursday¡¯s was the lowest number of calls the DFS has ever received in a night.??
The biggest fire was reported in Karawal Nagar around midnight and ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot.??
Another fire broke out at the servants¡¯ quarters of Doordarshan Director (Engg) Mahender Singh. Four fire tenders were rushed to the site. Two people were rescued by the public before the arrival of the DFS and four were rescued by the DFS personnel. An injured woman was taken to RML Hospital.
Delhi air in "severe" category as cracker ban goes up in smoke??
The air in Delhi and surrounding areas hung heavy with acrid smoke as people burst firecrackers on Diwali in a blatant disregard to the government's ban on it amid a sharp increase in fumes from farm fires.? ?
Residents of Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi, Burari in North Delhi, Paschim Vihar in West Delhi and Shahdara in East Delhi reported incidents of firecracker bursting as early as 7 pm, despite the blanket ban in the national capital till January 1, 2022.
Continuing its upward trend, the city's air quality index, which stood at 382 at 4 pm, entered the severe zone around 8 pm as low temperature and wind speed allowed the accumulation of pollutants.
People from several parts of the city and its suburbs complained of itchy throat and watery eyes, as a layer of smog, the first episode this season, lingered over the region.
13,000 kg of illegal crackers seized? ??
On October 27, the Delhi government had launched the 'Patakhe Nahi Diye Jalao' campaign to create awareness against the bursting of crackers. Under the campaign, action can be taken under relevant IPC provisions and the Explosives Act against anyone found burning crackers.
According to the government, more than 13,000 kg of illegal firecrackers have been seized and 33 people arrested so far under the anti-cracker campaign.
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