New Delhi:
Fire fighters in the national capital received around 20 to 25 calls on Thursday night about fire-related minor incidents from across the city on Diwali.
"We have received around 20 to 25 calls between 6 PM and 8 PM. Our men have attended to 47 calls between 2 PM to 8 PM today," said a fire official.
According to the Delhi Fire Services department, the span between 6 PM and 8 PM is said to be the peak hour for people bursting crackers and this is when they get the most number of calls.
Last year, fire brigade officials had responded to 75 calls in the said period. In 2012, they had received 50-55 calls during this two-hour span while in 2010 they had got a whopping 210 calls in the same phase.
The Delhi Fire Services had deployed fire tenders at 20 vulnerable locations in the city including congested areas and key market places in addition to its 56 fire stations.
Around 1,800 personnel of the Delhi Fire Services out of its total strength of 3,000 are on duty while 175 to 180 fire fighting vehicles along with 25 to 30 vehicles to provide logistics are also operational.