18 fire incidents during Diwali celebrations in Amritsar

As many as eighteen incidents of fire were reported in various parts of Amritsar city during the Diwali celebrations on Monday. According to the Amritsar Municipal Corporation officials, most of the incidents occurred due to the bursting of firecrackers. The officials said prior preparedness helped them to bring all the incidents of fire under control well in time, which prevented from any of the incidents turning into a major blaze. The MC has also not reported any casualty or injury during the fire incidents.

However, the ban orders of the state government and the district administration on bursting of conventional highly-polluting crackers, were not followed during the Diwali celebrations. There was a two-hour window from 8 pm to 10 pm given by the Punjab government as per the recommendation of Punjab Pollution Control Board for bursting crackers. However, the people started bursting crackers from 7 pm and it continued till 2 am in Amritsar.

The first incident of fire was reported in a factory at the Focal Point in the afternoon while the second incident of fire had happened in a fruits shop at around 7:30 pm in the walled city of Amritsar. The other incident was reported during 8 pm and midnight.

Amritsar fire officer, Lovepreet Singh said the Fire Services and Emergency Department had set-up 12 locations, from where fire tenders moved to douse the flames. “Almost 100 men remained on standby and worked hard to tackle the fire incidents till 2 am,” he added.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP-investigating) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said their teams ensured maximum safety on Diwali night. “We also detained some suspects who were found to be violating the orders regarding bursting of firecrackers. Our probe is on to take further action,” he added.