Fire and Rescue Services Department in Madurai received only 8 fire accident calls on the day of Deepavali this year.
The officials said that all the incidents were minor with no major loss of lives and property. “Usually at least one or two fire accidents in cracker shops would be reported every year, but this time no such accident happened,” one of the officials said.
District Fire Officer S. Vinoth said, “In most of the calls this time, the fire would have been put off even before the firermen reached the spot. The eight cases were registered in Melur, Vadipatti, Anuppanadi and a calendar manufacturing unit in Sellur.”
In most of the cases, the blaze was due to the flying sparks falling on a dry tree, thatched house or hay stored for livestock. “In the Sellur case, a small portion of the calendar production unit started burning after a cracker fell over it, but it was put off before the fire engulfed the whole place. Otherwise it would have become a major fire accident,” Mr. Vinoth said.
“Moreover, people nowadays have the basic awareness to handle fire safely thanks to the government’s campaign on safe ways to handle crackers,” he added. Most of the fire accidents occurred due to people handling the fire crackers in a careless manner - youngsters, to show off their bravado, throw them into the air after lighting them or launch rockets from their hand.
At least 18 people with burn injuries, caused while bursting crackers, were admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital on Sunday. Surgeries were performed on 10 of them.
A police official said that the lesser number of fire accident cases this year can be attributed to the lower volume of fireworks sold during this Deevali season.
Madurai city police on Sunday and Saturday alone registered 147 cases against people who burst firecrackers beyond the permitted time, those who burst high-decibel crackers, and those who kept open fireworks shops beyond the permitted hours.
While Chennai and other major cities have recorded poor air quality after Deepavali on Monday, Madurai recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of around 40 which lies within the ‘good’ category limits,” said a Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board official. “This is not a surprise as the AQI always remained good because of the thick forest cover around Madurai district,” the official added.
