Children in Bengal and Odisha, couple in Kanpur die in Diwali fire incidents

Three children aged nine, five and two-and-a-half were killed in a blaze sparked by firecrackers which they were bursting in West Bengal's Howrah district on Friday evening, an official said. The children have been identified as Tanya Mistry, Ishan Dhara, and Momtahina Khatun.

Another child, Monisha Khatun, has sustained burn injuries in the incident, which took place in Uluberia when the children from the same locality were bursting firecrackers as sparks fell on some fireworks stored nearby, triggering a blaze that engulfed an adjacent house and the three children.

The three children were taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared them dead, the official said. Two fire tenders were deployed at the spot and succeeded in containing the blaze, a fire brigade official said.

West Bengal fire services minister Sujit Bose said, "Three fatalities have been confirmed in the blaze. It is a tragic incident. I will visit the area."

In Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a prominent businessman, his wife and their domestic help allegedly died of suffocation inside their house following a fire that broke out from a diya early on Friday, police said.

The couple had installed an electronic lock on their bedroom door but as the blaze erupted, they failed to enter the correct unlocking code in panic and remained trapped, a senior officer said.

Sanjay Shyam Dasani (49), his wife Kanika (45) and their domestic help Chhavi Chauhan (24), a resident of the city's Pandu Nagar area, died in the fire. Dasani, a prominent local businessman, owned a biscuit company Ambaji Foods and was involved in other business ventures.

Deputy commissioner of police (central Kanpur) Dinesh Tripathi said the fire began at around 3.00 am after the family performed late night prayers, leaving the lamp burning in the temple, made of wood. He said the couple apparently tried to open their bedroom door but were unable to do so owing to an electronic lock. In the midst of the emergency, they might have struggled to enter the correct code on the lock panel, Tripathi said.

At around 4.00 am, their son Harsh Dasani returned after Diwali celebrations with friends and discovered the house filled with thick smoke and flames, according to the police. He immediately alerted neighbours, who then contacted the police and fire department.

In Delhi, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) experienced a surge in fire-related calls this Diwali, with more than 300 incidents reported across the city, which is the highest in the past 13 years, an official said on Friday.

According to officials, the increase is attributed to the extensive use of firecrackers. "The figure marks the highest number of Diwali-related fire and emergency incidents in the past 13 years," DFS chief Atul Garg said.

The DFS, which had ramped up its readiness for the festival by deploying fire engines and personnel across the city, reported that most calls were received between 5.00 pm on 31 October and 5.00 am on 1 November. Garg said the peak time for such calls this year was 6.00 pm to 11.59 pm, when the DFS received 176 fire-related calls, and from midnight to 6.00 am, when it received 144 calls.

The relentless bursting of firecrackers through the night blanketed Delhi in dense smoke, causing severe noise pollution and reducing visibility as residents defied the ban on firecrackers and celebrated Diwali on Thursday.

In an effort to combat the annual spike in pollution, the Delhi government had enforced a comprehensive ban on firecrackers for the fifth consecutive year, prohibiting their manufacture, storage, sale and use.

Several hospitals in Delhi reported over 280 burn injuries, largely caused by firecrackers, on Diwali, officials said on Friday. Safdarjung Hospital, which has the largest burn unit in the country, recorded the highest number with 117 cases on Thursday, followed by 48 at AIIMS, and 19 at LNJP Hospital.

In Odisha, at least two persons died and 50 people were injured in various incidents of fire during Diwali celebrations, police said on Friday. In addition, property worth lakhs of rupees were gutted during the festival of lights on Thursday night, the police said.

Two minors succumbed to burn injuries and one woman was injured in a fire incident at Batagaon in Puri town following a firecracker blast. The deceased were identified as Sanjay Jena and Bula Rout. Rout's sister-in-law Lipa Routh received critical burn injuries and is under treatment at a hospital in Bhubaneswar, a police officer said. The deceased had reportedly suffered 80 per cent burns.

Puri superintendent of police Vinit Agarwal said an investigation is on into the firecracker explosion and stringent action will be taken against those involved in illegal cracker manufacturing.

Around 25 garment shops were gutted in a fire that broke out in a market in Bhubaneswar early on Friday, police said. No one was injured in the incident but garments were damaged in the blaze, a senior officer said.

A report from Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar said that over two dozen people, including young boys, girls and children received burn injuries in firecracker-related mishaps in different parts of the state capital. While many were released after first aid, others had to be admitted.

With agency inputs