Delhi Fire Services (DFS) received a total of 257 calls on Diwali day, Sunday, November 8, of which 214 were fire-related and 24 were linked to firecrackers, DFS Chief A.K. Malik said while briefing the media on Monday. Six people were injured in fire incidents, and around five fire personnel sustained minor injuries during firefighting operations; the department also received one forest-fire call.

Source: ANI

The fire-call total was lower than last Diwali, when the department received 231 fire calls, Malik said. Calls peaked in the evening, with 85 received between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Notable fires that night included two adjoining factories on Shamshan Ghat Wali Road in Nangli Sakrawati, a factory in the Narela Industrial Area and an NDMC godown beneath the Safdarjung Flyover. Fire tenders were also sent to Sonipat, where three vehicles attended one medium-category and two major-category incidents.

Source: PTI via Particle News

AIIMS burns unit: 42 cases, youngest patient five years old

The Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery at AIIMS, New Delhi, reported 42 Diwali-related burn cases till 11 a.m. on Monday. Eleven patients had major burns — four in the Intensive Care Unit and seven in the ward — while the remaining 31 were categorised as minor burns. Five patients underwent surgery, and eight remained admitted, including one in critical condition.

Source: ANI

Six children below the age of 10 were among the injured — one in the ICU, four in the ward and one with minor burns. The youngest patient was five years old, and an eight-year-old child with burns over 45 per cent of the body surface was reported critical. Twelve cases were recorded in the 10-to-18 age group, in which the 'anar' flower-pot firecracker was identified as the most common cause; the 18-to-60 group accounted for 22 cases, mostly burns to the hands, and one patient above 60 was admitted to the ICU and underwent surgery.

Of the 42 cases, 37 were firecracker burns and two involved potash burns, including one 13-year-old, AIIMS said, adding that several patients with eye injuries may have gone directly to the Eye Emergency at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre. DFS said it had deployed extra crews and quick-response teams across its 71 stations ahead of the festival.