Nearly 390 firecracker-related fires across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region on Diwali night have triggered bans on rockets and other aerial fireworks in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, while a fire that damaged railway signalling cables disrupted Western Railway services. Mumbai recorded 137 incidents alone, with major fires reported in Dongri and Vidyavihar and a high-rise rescue operation carried out in Thane.
The fire incidents occurred on November 8, with officials reporting a sharp increase in emergency calls after 8 pm. Mumbai chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar described it as an “extreme day” and a “black day” for the department. “We had deployed maximum staff, but were still finding it difficult to handle the situation,” he told the Times of India, adding that fire personnel had to be shifted between locations as calls continued to rise.
In Mumbai, three upper floors of Skyline Epitome, a commercial building in Vidyavihar, were gutted. The affected premises included the office of architect Manoj Daisaria. Local BJP MLA Parag Shah said the offices were closed and that a police patrol suspected a firecracker from outside may have started the blaze. In Dongri, multiple garages and garment and footwear shops were destroyed in a separate fire.
A fire at a 17-storey Raheja Garden building in Thane led to the rescue of 50 residents. The Mumbai Fire Brigade sent three high-rise special appliances to assist Thane firefighters. Two firefighters were injured while fighting a blaze at a godown in Kurla’s Sunrise Estate. In Powai, a rocket entered the bathroom duct of a flat on the 20th floor of Hiranandani Gardens. Residents said private security personnel extinguished the fire after the fire brigade was unable to reach the building immediately because of the volume of incidents.
The fires also affected rail operations. A blaze believed to have been triggered by crackers damaged signalling cables between Virar and Nallasopara, affecting seven signals. Fourteen services were delayed on Sunday, followed by 35 cancellations and 150 delays on Monday. Railway staff worked overnight to restore the signalling system and install additional cables.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation imposed a blanket ban on rockets and aerial fireworks from November 9 until 11.59 pm on November 25. The order, issued by additional municipal commissioner Prajakta Lavangare-Verma as chairperson-in-charge of the urban disaster management authority, applies to public and private spaces, including residential buildings, terraces, balconies, courtyards, parking areas and slum settlements within BMC limits.
Thane imposed a longer ban on aerial firecrackers until January 8, 2027, through an order issued by district collector and disaster management authority chairman Shrikrishna Panchal. Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation also prohibited flying firecrackers until January 8, 2027. NMMC reported 62 fires over two days, with Vashi recording 18 complaints and Nerul 14. No casualties or injuries were reported there.
Other parts of the region also recorded extensive fire activity. The Kalyan-Dombivli fire department reported 70 mishaps, 68 of them linked to crackers. Mira-Bhayandar recorded 137 incidents over three days, while Vasai-Virar reported 55. In Kalyan, police registered a case against a hotel owner and five to six employees for allegedly bursting crackers on a public road. The civic bans remain the immediate enforcement measure announced by the affected authorities.
