Firecrackers catch fire on Diwali night: Fire department receives 150 calls; Fire breaks out due to delay in reaching some places, loss of life averted

A caravan of incidents of fire broke out amid fireworks during Diwali festival in Surat city. The fire broke out in different areas of the city as firecrackers and rockets fell on residential areas and open spaces. The fire control room remained buzzing throughout the night and a total of 150 fire calls were reported from different areas, due to which the entire fire system was running. The highest number of fire incidents were reported in the balconies and garbage heaps of buildings. Most of the fire cases took place in residential societies, high-rise buildings and heaps of garbage lying in open plots. The rockets fired by the people fell directly on the balconies of the buildings as well as the dry waste. Within moments, the fire created a puff of smoke at the local level, causing panic among the people. The fire became fierce due to delay in reaching some places. Around 150 calls were received in a single night, putting a lot of pressure on the fire brigade convoy. Due to the call received in the form of a caravan from several places at the same time, there was a delay in reaching the firefighters at some places. The fire became more severe due to the delay in reaching and it also engulfed the surrounding belongings. As a result, the firefighters had to struggle to control the fire by using water cannons for a long time. The personnel remained on their feet throughout the night, fortunately a major loss of life was averted. In the wake of the fire incidents in the city, personnel from all the fire stations remained on standby throughout the night and constantly rushed to the spot. Despite such a large number of fire incidents, fortunately no casualty or serious injury was reported in any of the incidents, which has caused relief to the citizens and the administration. However, in some places, household items and other belongings have been burnt to ashes, causing huge financial losses to the locals.