Ahmedabad: Firecrackers kept the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) on its toes during Diwali, with the department responding to around 126 fire calls within a span of 12 hours, averaging more than 10 incidents every hour.Between 6pm on Diwali and 6am the next morning, emergency control rooms 101 and 112 handled calls from across the city. The busiest period was between 10pm and midnight, when more than 70 fire incidents were reported.Most of the fires were reported from open plots and garbage dumps, where firecrackers are suspected to have ignited accumulated waste. Several residential buildings and houses also reported fire incidents, causing damage to household belongings.One of the more serious incidents occurred near Silver Oak College in Gota, where a blaze broke out near a building and trapped three people. Firefighters rushed to the spot, brought the fire under control and safely rescued all three occupants.Fire calls were also received from Bopal, Navrangpura, Nikol, Vasna, Ghodasar, Bodakdev and Danilimda, among other areas. Fire tenders from stations across the city remained on alert throughout the night and were dispatched immediately after emergency calls were received.Despite the unusually high number of incidents, AFES officials said all reported fires were brought under control in time and no major fire or casualty was reported. While a few residential incidents resulted in property damage, most cases involved open spaces and garbage heaps.Harshad Patel, a social worker from Amraiwadi, said an old date palm tree in Merry Park Society caught fire after being struck by a stray rocket on Sunday night. “The tree was destroyed and five vehicles parked beneath it were damaged after the burning tree collapsed on them. Parts of nearby houses were also affected,” he said.
