Fire department gets over 70 calls on peak Diwali hours

Fire fighters in the national capital got over 70 calls tonight about fire-related incidents from across the city on Diwali, but almost all of them were related to minor incidents.
"We have received 75 calls between 6 PM to 10 PM. In the 22 hours from last midnight, fire fighters have answered to around 132 calls reporting fire-related incidents," said a fire official.
There were just 24 calls between 6 PM and 8 PM this year which is said to be the peak hour for people bursting crackers.
Last year, fire brigade officials had received 50-55 calls around during this two-hour span while in 2010 they had got a whopping 210 calls in the said period.

The fire brigade had deployed fire tenders in markets which do not have fire stations nearby.
"Ninety-nine per cent of our personnel were on duty on Diwali day," said the official.