Delhi Fire Service received 257 emergency calls during Diwali in 2026, a decline of 12 calls from the previous year, even as the department recorded a sharp concentration of incidents during the evening peak period.
The total was around 4.5 per cent lower than the 269 calls recorded during Diwali in 2025, according to the department’s annual Diwali statistics report. The figure was also 19.2 per cent below the 318 calls recorded in 2024, the highest number reported during the 15-year period covered by the data.
Of the 257 calls received this year, 214 were fire-related. These included 24 calls linked to cracker-related fires. The remaining calls involved animal and bird rescues, house collapse, human rescue, road accidents, special jobs and standby deployment.
The department’s hourly data showed that the busiest period was between 8 pm and 10 pm, when it received 85 emergency calls. That represented around 33.1 per cent of the day’s total calls. The fire service also reported that more than half of the Diwali calls were recorded between 8 pm and midnight, indicating that emergency demand remained concentrated during the main evening celebration period.
The year-wise figures show considerable variation in Diwali-related emergency calls. The department recorded 208 calls in 2023, 201 in 2022 and 152 in 2021. The corresponding figures were 205 in 2020, 245 in 2019, 271 in 2018, 204 in 2017, 243 in 2016, 290 in 2015, 211 in 2014, 177 in 2013 and 184 in 2012.
The 2026 total therefore remained higher than the figures recorded in 2021, 2022 and 2023, although it was lower than the totals reported in 2024 and 2025. The department’s data covers all emergency calls received during Diwali, rather than only incidents involving fires or fireworks.
The distinction is significant for interpreting the annual total. Fire-related incidents accounted for 214 of the 257 calls, while the rest required other forms of emergency response, including rescues, special assistance and standby deployment. Cracker-related fires formed a smaller subset of the fire-related calls, with 24 incidents recorded.
The concentration of calls between 8 pm and midnight also marks the period when the fire service faced the greatest operational demand. Of the 85 calls received between 8 pm and 10 pm alone, the department said the interval accounted for approximately one-third of all calls recorded during the festival.
The 2026 figures place the year below the 15-year peak recorded in 2024, while confirming that Diwali continues to generate a substantial volume of emergency calls for Delhi’s fire and rescue system. The department’s annual statistics provide the latest comparison across the festival period, including the category and hourly distribution of calls.
