Mumbai Disaster Management Authority on Monday banned rockets, aerial firecrackers in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits till November 25, according to PTI citing civic officials.
This comes after tree major fire incidents were reported at different locations in on night, gutting several huts, shops, a garage and portions of a commercial building, civic officials said on Monday.
No casualties were reported in any of the incidents. Following the fires, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde issued an urgent appeal to residents, asking them to celebrate Diwali responsibly and avoid bursting firecrackers near residential buildings and on footpaths.
One of the fires broke out at Haji Kasam Chawl, a row tenement on Dr Maheshwari Road in Dongri, around 10 pm on Sunday. Initially categorised as a Level-I fire, it was subsequently upgraded to Level-II, requiring additional firefighting personnel and equipment.
Firefighters took more than nine hours to bring the blaze under control, with operations concluding at 7.23 am on Monday, a civic official said.
Several huts and shops were damaged as the fire spread to electrical wiring and installations, wooden furniture, LPG cylinders, chemical drums and tarpaulin sheets, the official added.
A second Level-II fire was reported at a garage on Marol Military Road in Andheri, near a school, at 10.51 pm on Sunday. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze at 3.50 am on Monday following nearly five hours of operations.
The third fire broke out at Skyline Vida, a 10-storey commercial building near Jolly Gymkhana in Vidyavihar, at 11.56 pm on Sunday. The flames spread from the seventh to the 10th floor.
The fire brigade classified the incident as a Level-II fire at 12.52 am. After nearly six hours of firefighting operations, the blaze was extinguished at 5.55 am on Monday, the official said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ritu Tawde appealed to residents through a video message, urging them to prioritise safety while celebrating the festival and exercise caution when bursting firecrackers.
“Our festive celebration should not become someone else’s reason for sadness. Safety must be our utmost it,” she stated.
Referring to the’s directions, Tawde asked citizens not to burst firecrackers on footpaths or in public places.
She also cautioned against lighting rockets and other aerial firecrackers, saying they could enter homes, cause property damage and put people’s lives at risk.
The mayor further urged residents to burst crackers away from residential buildings and other occupied structures to avoid accidents, injuries and damage to property.
“Let us celebrate responsibly and ensure that our festivities do not come at the cost of someone else’s safety,” Tawde said.
