1 death, 544 injuries reported from Tamil Nadu in Deepavali fire accidents

Tamil Nadu reported a total of 150 fire accidents on Deepavali, resulting in one death and 544 injuries due to bursting firecrackers and other fireworks. Chennai accounted for 48 of these incidents, down from 102 in 2023.
The police cited hospital data to highlight these incidents across the state.

Details shared by Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services.

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Department deployed over 8,000 personnel across 368 locations, including more than 800 in Chennai, to manage emergencies.
According to officials from the Fire and Rescue Services Department, a 12-year-old boy from Rameswaram in the Ramanathapuram district sustained injuries to his face and other parts of his body while holding lit firecrackers. He was declared dead at a government hospital in the district.
This year’s figures show a decline compared to last year when 254 fire accidents were reported across the state.
Police officials attributed the decrease in fire accidents to awareness campaigns held in over 2,400 places, such as schools and colleges, promoting safe firecracker use. This, in addition to rains in several parts of the state, have been cited as reasons for the reduction in the number of fire accidents this year on Deepavali by the police.
Last week, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had issued an advisory to the public ahead of Deepavali, which stated that crackers should be burst only between 6 am and 7 am and between 7 pm and 8 pm on Thursday.