Pune city fire brigade responded to 23 incidents of fires between 7 pm and midnight that started due to firecrackers on Sunday night when Laxmipujan was observed as part of Diwali festivities. No casualties were reported in these fires.According to the fire brigade department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the number may go up as Diwali will be celebrated till November 15.In one of the incidents, a fire broke out in a shop near Sutar Hospital in Kothrud at around 7:40 pm. No one was injured in the incident. The other areas which reported fire incidents were Rasta Peth near KEM hospital, near Sutar Hospital in Kothrud, Wadarwadi, near Pandav Nagar police chowki, garbage near Kondhwa Budruk Police Chowki, Nana Peth, Ghorpadi Peth, Shivneri Nagar in Kondhwa, Aditya Garden Society, Warje, Shukrawar Peth, Keshav Nagar Mundhwa, Ambegaon Pathar, Shukrawar Peth, Guruwar Peth, Raskar Chowk in Hadapsar, Khadi Machine Chowk in Pisoli.Nilesh Mahajan, spokesperson Pune fire brigade department, said, they have kept 400 firemen on the ground considering the Diwali celebration to avoid untoward incidences.
“The fire brigade department has 30 fire vehicles ready to deal with any kind of situation during Diwali. Pune fire brigade department has put 20 fire tenders, ten fire engines, four foam engines, three rescue vans and other vehicles on the ground to deal with the situation,” he said. Mahajan said, “Our department has cancelled all the leaves of the employee and instructed all should be present on the ground to deal with the situation. We are ready and prepared to handle any situation. But at the same time, people should take care while bursting firecrackers.’’ Last week, Maharashtra cabinet minister Deepak Kesarkar appealed to citizens not to burst firecrackers during Diwali and extend cooperation in improving Mumbai's poor air quality index. He also said giving separate reservation to the Marathas without affecting the existing quotas for other communities is the main task before the state government. The minister said bursting of crackers remains a cause of "worry" for the state administration. Addressing a press conference here, Kesarkar, who is also the guardian minister of Mumbai City, appealed to citizens not to burst firecrackers during Diwali and celebrate the festival by lighting lamps.