Editorial Preface
Mumbai Diwali fires have turned a season of celebration into a serious public safety test. In two days, the Mumbai Fire Brigade recorded 89 fire incidents, with 28 attributed to firecrackers. A separate tally for the following day reported 142 fire calls, of which 137 were attributed to firecrackers. Thane reported its own incidents, while Pune later recorded 94 fire-related emergency calls during the overnight Diwali period.
These figures cover different dates and reporting periods. They must not be added together as if they were one verified count for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Still, they point to a clear concern: fire services faced a heavy workload while homes, shops, residential buildings and public spaces were celebrating.
There was also a human cost. A liftman died after a high-rise fire in Andheri West. Three people were injured in Ghatkopar. Four residents were hurt in a Thane building fire, while two others were rescued. In another Thane high-rise, around 50 residents were brought to safety.
This article is not an argument against festivals, devotion, music or public celebration. It is about how we celebrate without putting other people at risk. It also examines a separate incident I witnessed about a month before Diwali: a fire brigade vehicle struggling to pass through a crowded festive procession. I do not know where those vehicles were going, and that observation is not connected to any of the fires listed here. Yet it raises a question that every organiser and citizen should consider: when an emergency vehicle approaches, will we make way immediately?
We will look at the reported fires, the human impact, the restrictions announced by Mumbai and Thane authorities, the need for better building safety and the simple civic actions that can keep emergency routes open. The central point is straightforward: a fire engine should never have to negotiate with a crowd for the right to save a life.
Mumbai Diwali Fires By The Numbers
The first step is to read the figures correctly. Reports published on 9 November described more than one reporting period, and the wording is not always identical. Some reports say fire incidents, while others refer to fire calls received by the brigade. Those terms should not be treated as interchangeable without an official explanation.
According to Maharashtra Times reporting on the Mumbai Fire Brigade tally, Mumbai recorded 89 fire incidents across 6 and 7 November. The reported breakdown was 33 incidents on 6 November and 56 on 7 November. Of the 89, 28 were attributed to firecrackers.
A separate set of figures was reported for 8 November. The Indian Express report on the BMC restriction said the Mumbai Fire Brigade received 142 fire calls that day, of which 137 were attributed to firecrackers. India Today also reported the 142-call figure and said two women were injured in firecracker-related incidents.
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Thane district authorities reported 11 fire incidents on Diwali day. The number was cited in coverage of the district administration’s decision to prohibit rockets and similar aerial fireworks. The PTI report carried by ThePrint described the restriction and the district-level tally.
There was no comparable, verified consolidated count for Navi Mumbai in the reports reviewed for this article. Therefore, the Mumbai and Thane numbers should not be presented as a complete total for every city in the wider region. Each fire service has its own jurisdiction and reporting system.
The distinction matters: 89 incidents over 6 and 7 November, 142 calls on 8 November and 11 incidents in Thane are separate reported figures. They are not one combined regional total.
Mumbai Diwali Fires And The Human Cost
A high-rise fire can affect far more people than the residents of the flat where it begins. Smoke can travel through corridors and lift areas. People may lose their sense of direction, staircases can become difficult to use, and a person who is not inside the burning apartment can still face serious danger.
Andheri West lost a building liftman
On the night of 7 November, a fire broke out in a flat on the 17th floor of the Runwal Elegante residential complex in Lokhandwala, Andheri West. The Mumbai Fire Brigade received the call at around 9.50 pm and brought the blaze under control by approximately 10.37 pm.
Mid-Day reported the death of Dhanpat Mahatu, a liftman who was found unconscious in the lift area and later declared dead at Cooper Hospital. Reports said he died from smoke-related suffocation.
The possible cause requires care. Hindustan Times reported that a diya in a home shrine was suspected as a possible source. That was a preliminary assessment, not a final finding. The cause should not be described as confirmed unless the investigation establishes it.
This death is a reminder that fire safety is not limited to the apartment where a flame starts. Building employees, security staff, neighbours and emergency responders can all be exposed to the same danger. Common areas, lift lobbies, corridors and exits must be treated as part of the building’s safety plan.
Ghatkopar residents were injured in a high-rise fire
Another serious incident took place on 6 November at a high-rise on Vallabh Baug Lane in the Pantnagar area of Ghatkopar East. Three people were injured, and the building was evacuated as firefighters worked to control the blaze. One resident, Sainath Awale, suffered burns over 27 per cent of his body. Two other residents, Nirav Lodaya and Rajesh Lodaya, were treated for smoke-related complaints.
The cause was disputed in early reports. A PTI report carried by ThePrint said officials suspected a rocket firecracker. However, Hindustan Times reported conflicting preliminary accounts, including a short-circuit explanation. The final cause had not been established in the reports reviewed.
That difference is not a minor detail. A fire caused by a rocket entering a home requires a different response from a fire caused by faulty wiring. Investigators must establish what happened before anyone assigns responsibility.
Mumbai Diwali Fires Across Other Neighbourhoods
The major high-rise incidents were not the only emergencies during the festival period. Firefighters also responded to fires involving shops, huts, garages, commercial premises and stored material.
Dadar West reported a fire involving wood and bamboo
On the morning of 8 November, wooden and bamboo material caught fire at Kamgar Stadium in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar, Dadar West. The call was received at around 10.14 am, and the fire was brought under control by 10.32 am. No injuries were reported. Gujarat Samachar reported the incident and the fire brigade response. The cause was not established in the report.
Dongri required more than nine hours of firefighting
A major fire broke out at Haji Kasam Chawl on Dr Maheshwari Road in Dongri on the night of 8 November. The blaze affected shops and hutments and spread to electrical installations, wooden furniture, LPG cylinders, chemical drums and tarpaulin sheets. The fire was upgraded from Level I to Level II as the operation required more resources. Firefighters brought it under control at around 7.23 am on 9 November, after more than nine hours. No casualties were reported in this incident.
Marol and Vidyavihar also needed extended operations
A separate Level II fire was reported at a garage on Marol Military Road in Andheri East at around 10.51 pm on 8 November. Firefighters extinguished it at approximately 3.50 am on 9 November.
Another fire broke out at the Skyline Vida commercial building near Jolly Gymkhana in Vidyavihar at 11.56 pm. The fire affected the seventh to tenth floors and was brought under control at around 5.55 am. No casualties were reported in these three major fires in Dongri, Marol and Vidyavihar. The PTI report carried by Vartha Bharati provides the incident details and response timings.
These operations show why a low casualty count does not mean an incident was minor. A fire that takes several hours to control still places firefighters, residents and nearby properties at risk. It also keeps emergency vehicles and personnel occupied while other calls may be coming in.
Thane Fire Incidents And The High Rise Risk
Thane also faced serious fire emergencies during the same period. Two incidents in residential buildings underline different aspects of the challenge: the danger of smoke in common areas and the difficulty of moving residents out of a multi-storey building.
Aravali Hills Society reported four injuries
A fire broke out in the seventh-floor corridor of A-wing at Aravali Hills Society in Kasarvadavali during the early hours of 8 November. Four residents suffered minor injuries, while two people who were trapped inside a flat were rescued by firefighters. The fire was extinguished at around 1.10 am. The Week carried the PTI account of the incident, including the names of the injured residents and the rescue operation.
Around 50 residents were brought to safety at Raheja Garden
Later on 8 November, a fire broke out at the 17-storey Carlyle building in the Raheja Garden complex in Wagle Estate, Thane. The blaze spread across several floors and the building duct. Around 50 residents were brought to safety, and no casualties were reported. The operation involved fire tenders, sky-lift fire engines, water tankers, ambulances and other emergency teams. The cause remained under investigation.
ThePrint’s PTI report on the Raheja Garden fire said the blaze spread from the seventh to the fourteenth floors and that residents were guided to safety through the terrace and refuge areas.
Mumbai Diwali Fires And The Restrictions Announced
Following the fires, authorities in Mumbai and Thane announced restrictions on rockets and similar aerial fireworks. These are separate orders issued by different administrations. They are not a single statewide ban, and they do not amount to a complete ban on every type of firecracker.
Mumbai BMC restriction through 25 November
On 9 November, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced a restriction on rockets and similar aerial firecrackers within its jurisdiction until 11.59 pm on 25 November 2026. The concern is that burning remains from aerial fireworks can land on rooftops, balconies, windows and other combustible material.
The Indian Express report on the Mumbai order explains the restriction and its coverage of public and private spaces. It should not be described as a blanket ban on every firecracker in Mumbai.
Thane district restriction through 8 January
The Thane district administration separately prohibited rockets and similar aerial fireworks from 9 November through 11.59 pm on 8 January 2027, according to reports. The order applies within the Thane revenue district. The PTI report carried by ThePrint describes the district decision and the fire incidents cited by officials.
Residents should check which civic jurisdiction applies to their address. A BMC order does not automatically cover Navi Mumbai, and a Thane district order should not be assumed to cover every neighbouring municipal area. Where local authorities have issued additional instructions, those must also be followed.
Festival Fire Emergencies Need Clear Roads
There is another part of this discussion that I want to share. It is not a Diwali incident, and it is not connected to any of the fires listed above.
About a month before Diwali, I watched a festive procession moving along a crowded road. There were music trucks, orchestras, dancing and people celebrating with devotion and enthusiasm. It was a lively community event. People had gathered to enjoy the occasion and take part in something meaningful to them.
Then a fire brigade vehicle came along the road. Its siren was on, and its warning lights were flashing. Yet the road was congested with procession participants, volunteers and regular traffic. The vehicle appeared to struggle to make its way through the crowd.
Police personnel repeatedly asked people to move aside and make room. However, the road did not clear sufficiently. The music continued. The orchestra leaders and volunteers had microphones, but I did not see them pause the performance and use those microphones to ask people to open a path for the emergency vehicle.
Over the following half-hour or so, I counted close to a dozen fire brigade vehicles. At one point, I estimated that perhaps four to eight were visible, with some appearing to be separated by roughly 100 metres. These are my personal estimates from what I saw, not official vehicle counts or movement records.
I do not know where those vehicles were going. They may have been heading to a fire, returning from one or travelling back to an incident after refilling. I could not establish their destination. I therefore cannot say that the procession delayed a response to a particular fire or caused harm to anyone.
But the concern does not disappear. A fire brigade vehicle was trying to pass through a road filled with people. Police personnel were repeatedly asking for a way through. The crowd did not clear the route quickly enough, and the music continued.
I am not naming the festival because the name is not the point. The celebration itself was not the problem. People have every right to dance, listen to music, express their devotion and gather with their community. These events can bring people together, and that has value.
The failure was in not making room when an emergency vehicle approached.
A fire engine should never have to negotiate with a crowd for the right to save a life.
Emergency Vehicle Access Is A Civic Duty
The procession I witnessed took place about a month before the Diwali fires. It is a separate personal recollection, not evidence about the response to any specific fire. However, it points to a wider civic responsibility that becomes especially important during festivals and large public gatherings.
An emergency vehicle cannot choose a convenient time to arrive. An ambulance cannot wait for a song to finish. A fire engine cannot negotiate with a crowd while a building is burning. When the siren sounds and warning lights flash, the road must open.
The responsibility does not belong to the police alone. Organisers, orchestra leaders, volunteers, participants and ordinary road users all have a role. Event organisers may be in the best position to act quickly because they have microphones, volunteers and a direct connection with the crowd.
- Organisers should plan an emergency passage. Before a procession begins, they should identify a route that cannot be blocked by trucks, stalls, equipment or parked vehicles.
- Orchestra leaders should pause the music. A short, clear announcement over the microphone can reach the crowd immediately. There is no reason to let the music continue while a fire engine is trying to pass.
- Volunteers should help clear the route. They can guide participants towards the sides and keep the passage open until the emergency vehicle has moved through.
- Participants should respond at once. People should not wait for repeated police requests, crowd around the vehicle to record it or move back into the cleared space.
- Police and traffic teams should coordinate with organisers. Emergency access should be part of the event plan from the beginning, not an afterthought once a fire engine is already stuck.
Our earlier report, South Mumbai’s Heavy Vehicle Ban Exists Only on Paper, examined how traffic restrictions and enforcement affect the use of city roads. Emergency access must be treated as a basic requirement in the same conversation, not as a special request made only during a crisis.
NewsPatron has also reported on the driver whose quick action helped avert a disaster on the Mumbai-Goa Highway. That incident showed how one person’s response can matter when danger appears. During a procession, the same principle applies to the whole crowd: make room, act quickly and help the responders do their work.
In a very different situation, NewsPatron also covered Chinese Driver Burning Truck Drives Fire Station Jiangxi 2026, the extraordinary February 2026 case in which a driver took his burning truck to a fire station in Jiangxi Province. The original report makes an important distinction: this was an exceptional decision that worked in that particular situation, not a model for the public to copy. Standard emergency guidance is to stop safely, evacuate, move away from the vehicle and contact fire services. The relevant lesson here is not to take risks to reach firefighters. It is to keep roads open so trained responders can reach an emergency without obstruction.
Firecracker Fires Are Not The Only Fire Risk
Firecracker safety deserves attention, but not every fire reported during Diwali can automatically be blamed on fireworks. The Andheri incident involved an early suspicion about a diya. The Ghatkopar fire had competing preliminary explanations. Several other fires remained under investigation.
There is also an older warning from Mumbai’s fire data. A 2022 Free Press Journal report quoting Mumbai Fire Brigade data said that 20,009 of 26,855 fires recorded over the preceding five years were attributed to electrical failure or short circuits. That represented approximately 74.5 per cent of the reported fires in that historical period.
This older figure does not establish the cause of any fire in November 2026. It does, however, show why fire prevention cannot focus only on fireworks. Electrical wiring, overloaded sockets, old appliances, unsafe temporary connections and poor maintenance also deserve attention.
Another NewsPatron report, Salman Fans in an Upbeat mood caused a Stampede in a Theatre Burst Firecrackers During Tiger 3 Show, covered the 27 October 2023 incident at a cinema hall in Malegaon, where fans burst firecrackers inside the theatre and created a stampede-like situation. That episode showed how a celebration can put other people at risk when basic safety is ignored. The setting differs from a street procession, but the civic lesson is connected: enthusiasm does not remove responsibility for the safety of others.
Fire Safety In Mumbai Begins At Home
Fire prevention starts before an emergency call is made. Residents and housing societies can reduce risks by taking a few practical steps throughout the year, not only during Diwali.
- Keep diyas, candles and lamps away from curtains, paper, furniture and other material that can catch fire.
- Do not leave an open flame unattended. Extinguish lamps and candles before leaving a room or going to sleep.
- Check decorative lights, plugs and wires for damage. Avoid overloaded sockets and unsafe temporary electrical connections.
- Keep corridors, staircases, exits and refuge areas free of stored goods, rubbish, shoe racks and decorations.
- Make sure fire extinguishers and other safety equipment are accessible. Residents should know where they are and how to alert the building team.
- Do not store petrol, diesel, LPG cylinders or other flammable material in unsafe locations. Our report on the dangers of storing large quantities of fuel at homes and petrol pumps explains why fuel storage is not a harmless shortcut.
- Keep children away from flames and fireworks unless a responsible adult is supervising them closely.
- If a fire starts, alert others, contact the fire brigade and leave through a safe route. Do not use a lift during a fire.
Housing societies should review their emergency arrangements. Residents need to know the location of staircases, exits, fire extinguishers and refuge areas. Building management should also ensure that common areas remain clear and that fire alarms, pumps and other safety systems receive proper maintenance.
A fire safety plan is useful only when people know what to do. A notice on a wall is not enough if residents do not know where to go when smoke fills a corridor.
A Safer Festival Is A Shared Responsibility
The Diwali period brought a sharp rise in reported fire emergencies across Mumbai and Thane. One person died in Andheri. Residents were injured in Ghatkopar and Thane. Firefighters spent hours dealing with major fires in Dongri, Marol and Vidyavihar. The separate Pune tally also shows the pressure that festival-related calls can place on city fire services.
Authorities have responded with restrictions on rockets and similar aerial fireworks in Mumbai and Thane. Those orders address one important risk. However, rules alone cannot make a city safe.
Residents must follow local fire safety rules. Housing societies must maintain safe buildings. Organisers must keep emergency routes open. Volunteers must help the police. Citizens must understand that a celebration cannot take priority over someone’s life.
There is nothing wrong with dancing in the street, playing music or celebrating with the community. But when a fire engine approaches, the music must stop. The crowd must move. The road must open.
A few minutes of cooperation may protect someone who is waiting for help. A clear road may save a life. That is not an exaggeration. It is the basic reason emergency vehicles use sirens and warning lights.
Let our festivals bring people together. Let our celebrations spread happiness. And let us never make an emergency vehicle fight its way through a crowd.
Postscript Pune Reports 94 Fire Calls
Pune also faced a high number of fire-related emergency calls during the Diwali period. The Pune Fire Brigade received 94 calls between 3 pm on Sunday, 8 November, and 7 am on Monday, 9 November 2026. The reports said there were no injuries or deaths during that period.
Punekar News reported the 94-call tally, with incidents involving residential buildings, shops, warehouses, vehicles, trees, garbage dumps and open spaces. Free Press Journal also reported the Pune figure and noted that firecracker sparks were suspected in several incidents.
The wording matters: these were 94 fire-related emergency calls recorded across an overnight period. They were not 94 calls during the whole of 9 November. Pune’s tally is also separate from the Mumbai and Thane counts and should not be added to them as though all three cities were using one consolidated reporting system.
The wider lesson is the same across cities: fire prevention, safe celebrations and clear emergency access must be part of everyday civic behaviour.
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Kumar
Founder and Editor, NewsPatron
