Ahmedabad’s fire department received 136 emergency calls during Diwali, with a sharp rise in incidents recorded overnight as firecracker activity intensified across the city, according to a report by Sandesh. Most of the calls involved fires in garbage piles, while major incidents were reported near Chandola Lake and behind Silver Oak College.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s fire department received 16 calls during the daytime. The number increased substantially between 8 pm and 6 am, when the fire control room recorded around 120 calls. Fire brigade teams remained active through the night as they responded to incidents across the city.
Of the 136 calls, around 81 concerned fires in garbage. According to the report, sparks from firecrackers landed on open waste or garbage heaps and triggered the fires. The incidents highlight how combustible waste left in open areas can become an immediate fire risk during periods of intense firecracker use.
Most of the remaining cases were described as scattered and routine incidents that were brought under control in time. The report did not specify the total property damage, injuries or fatalities associated with the calls.
Two incidents were identified as major fires. One broke out at a factory near Chandola Lake, where firecrackers were reported to have triggered a severe blaze. Another major fire was reported at a construction site behind Silver Oak College.
Fire brigade personnel reached both locations and brought the fires under control after sustained efforts. The report did not provide details about the size of the response teams, the number of fire engines deployed, the duration of the operations or whether the affected sites had suffered structural damage.
The concentration of calls during the overnight period places the timing of firecracker use alongside the condition of the city’s public spaces and work sites as important factors in the emergency response. Open garbage, construction materials and active or partially completed sites can create different fire risks from those associated with ordinary residential incidents.
The figures also show the operational pressure placed on Ahmedabad’s fire department during a high-risk festival period. While the majority of reported incidents were linked to garbage fires, the factory and construction-site blazes required fire crews to respond to larger and potentially more complex locations.
The Ahmedabad fire department’s immediate response was to attend the reported incidents and contain the fires. The available report did not mention any subsequent municipal inspection, damage assessment, safety directive or review of firecracker-related incidents. Further official details on casualties, losses and follow-up action were not provided.
