Delhi Fire Service records 208 fire-related calls on Diwali

New Delhi, November 13

The Delhi Fire Service received 208 calls of fire-related incidents, 22 of them caused by firecrackers, on Diwali, an official said on Monday.

There were major fires in Sadar Bazar, East of Kailash and Tilak Nagar on Sunday, although no one was injured, the official said.

According to the Delhi Fire Service official, a major fire broke out at a godown in Deputy Ganj of Sadar Bazar in Central Delhi. Twenty-two fire tenders pressed into service took two hours to control the blaze, he added.

In West Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, there was a fire at a market that gutted half a dozen shops. A fire was reported in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri as well.

Delhi recorded a jump in pollution levels and a smoky haze returned on Monday morning after residents flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night. At 7 am, the AQI stood at 275 (poor category).

Pollution levels even entered the ‘very poor’ category in some areas, including Shadipur (315), Ayanagar (311), Lodhi Road (308), Pusa (355) and Jahangirpuri (333).