While millions celebrated the festival of lights, firefighters across Panipat spent the night battling a series of blazes triggered by festive pyrotechnics and electrical short circuits.
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The Panipat Inferno: The most devastating fire broke out at a blanket manufacturing and storage unit near the Kabri Pacca Phatak.
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The Cause: Eyewitnesses reported seeing a “sky-shot” firecracker land on the roof of the godown around 8:30 PM.
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The Scale: Because of the polyester and acrylic materials stored inside, the flames spread with explosive speed. “We could see the plumes of black smoke from kilometers away. The narrow approach roads made it difficult for our heavy tenders to reach the site,” said a fire official.
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Outcome: The structure eventually collapsed under the heat. Thousands of finished blankets and raw yarn were reduced to ashes, though all workers had fortunately left for the holiday, preventing any loss of life.
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State-Wide Statistics: The Haryana Fire Services reported a record 150 calls between 6:00 PM on Oct 20 and 6:00 AM on Oct 21.
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Panipat: 42 calls (mostly minor trash/garbage fires).
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Gurugram: 29 calls (including a scrap warehouse fire in Manesar and a photo studio fire in Shivpuri).
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Rohtak: 18 calls.
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Firefighter Heroism: All leaves for the 260-plus fire personnel in major districts had been cancelled. Teams worked in 12-hour shifts to ensure a response time of under 10 minutes for city-center calls.
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The “Green Cracker” Reality: Despite the ban on conventional crackers, officials noted that the intensity of several fires suggested that high-decibel, non-green fireworks were still being used extensively across industrial sectors.
Departmental Warning: The Fire Department has urged factory owners to keep “fire watches” (security guards trained in basic firefighting) on the premises during festive nights. A forensic audit of the Panipat godown will be conducted tomorrow to confirm the exact source of ignition and check for any safety regulation lapses.
