Jaipur: City’s fire department battled 82 fire incidents on Diwali night, as flames swept through showrooms, warehouses, shops, houses and vacant plots across the city. Huge piles of garbage fuelled more than half the fires, while electrical short circuits and firecrackers triggered several others, keeping firefighters on the road through the night and well into Monday morning.Chief fire officer Gautam Lal told TOI that the department deployed personnel from all 12 fire stations for round-the-clock operations. Fire tenders also took positions at 15 locations across the city to cut response times and prevent fires from spreading to neighbouring properties.Data from Jaipur Municipal Corporation’s fire department showed that garbage and dry waste piles accounted for 54 of the 82 incidents. Fires also broke out in nine warehouses, nine shops and six houses. Three incidents involved electricity meters, while firefighters reported one vehicle fire.Several vacant plots, where people had dumped heaps of rubbish, caught fire. The flames threatened nearby houses and forced firefighters to rush to these locations before the fires could spread.One of the biggest fires broke out at 11:25 pm in a sprawling showroom in Khatipura, Jhotwara. Flames engulfed large stocks of sarees, bedsheets, mattresses, cushions, wooden furniture, Rajput poshaks and other furnishings, along with air-conditioners. Firefighters battled the blaze until around 7 am before bringing it under control.Another major fire gutted an online retail and export company’s premises in Sitapura. The flames damaged a substantial inventory, furniture and machinery, besides affecting the building. A large warehouse in Murlipura also went up in flames, destroying wooden articles and furniture.Officials said electrical short circuits triggered several major fires. In an apartment in Vaishali Nagar, a firecracker allegedly caused a blaze. Firecrackers also set parked cars and motorcycles on fire at several locations.The damage extended beyond the city limits. In Govindgarh and other outskirts, fires destroyed makeshift animal shelters and spare rooms, adding to the department’s workload on one of the busiest nights of the year.box
