Ludhiana faces brunt of firecrackers, 25 fire incidents reported on Diwali

A massive fire broke out at a cardboard factory in Ludhiana on Wednesday night. One person was grievously injured in the fire. The Fire officer Sambhu Nath Sharma speaking on the incident informed that a total of 37 fire engines were deployed for firefighting operations across the city. Fire broke out at 25 locations in Ludhiana on the occasion of Diwali on Wednesday. The fire was doused at 24 places. The reason behind most of the incidents was probably bursting of firecrackers, said the fire officer. On October 23, the Supreme Court had refused to put a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers across the country. Later, the top court fixed the time from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali for burning crackers and also issued guidelines on the majority of the aspect of the festival. In its guidelines, the apex court had allowed that only firecrackers with reduced emission (improved crackers) and green crackers and Safe Water and Air Sprinklers (SWAS) would be sold and manufactured.