Mumbai Records 137 Firecracker Fires in One Diwali Night — Then Bans Aerial Crackers Until 25 November

Mumbai’s Diwali night turned into the busiest night of the year for the city’s fire brigade. On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the fire brigade received 142 fire calls in a single day — and 137 of them were caused by firecrackers. Two women were injured. The next morning, the city banned rockets and other aerial firecrackers until 25 November.

It was a record no one wanted. In one 24-hour window, Mumbai recorded more firecracker fires than it had seen during the whole Diwali festival in either of the past two years. The city’s fire crews were, in the words of civic officials, stretched to the limit.

This article explains what happened on Diwali night in Mumbai, how the numbers compare with previous years, what the new ban covers, and what happened elsewhere in India during the same festival.

What happened on Diwali night in Mumbai

Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated across India with lamps, sweets, family gatherings — and firecrackers. In Mumbai, the celebrations on Sunday night, 8 November, quickly turned into an emergency for the fire brigade.

According to data shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Mumbai Fire Brigade received 142 fire calls on Sunday. Of those, 137 were about blazes caused by firecrackers. The fires broke out across the city and its suburbs, in homes, on terraces, in courtyards and in open areas where rockets and aerial crackers landed.

Two women were injured in the incidents, officials said on Monday, 9 November. No deaths were reported in Mumbai itself from the firecracker fires.

Among the 137 blazes, three were major fires, classified as Level-II fires by the fire brigade, which broke out at separate locations on Diwali night. A Level-II fire is a serious blaze that needs several fire engines and a larger crew to bring under control. Having three of them on the same night, on top of more than 130 smaller fires, put enormous pressure on the city’s fire services.

Fire crews across the city worked through the night, moving from one call to the next. The scale of the incidents was, officials said, unprecedented in recent years.

A record that beat two whole festivals

The most striking part of the story is not just the number 137. It is what that number means when compared with previous years.

In 2024, Mumbai recorded 80 firecracker-related blazes during the entire six-day Diwali festival. That year, the city reported 262 fire incidents in total during the festival period, and three people were injured in firecracker incidents.

In 2025, the city recorded 289 fire incidents during Diwali, of which 113 were caused by firecrackers. No injuries were reported that year.

In 2026, a single day — Sunday, 8 November — produced 137 firecracker fires. That is more than the whole festival produced in 2024, and more than the whole festival produced in 2025.

To put it simply: Mumbai had more firecracker fires in one night than in either of the two previous Diwalis as whole festivals.

The trend is also clear in the total number of fire calls. The city went from 262 fire incidents during the 2024 festival to 289 in 2025, and then to 142 calls in a single day in 2026. The festival is getting busier for the fire brigade, and the fires are coming faster.

The ban: no rockets or aerial crackers until 25 November

The response from the authorities came fast. On Monday, 9 November, the Mumbai Disaster Management Authority issued an order banning rockets and other aerial firecrackers across Mumbai until 25 November.

The order was issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and came into effect immediately. It will remain in force until 11.59 pm on 25 November.

The ban is wide. It covers all public and private premises across the city, including residential buildings, terraces, balconies, courtyards, parking areas and slum pockets. In practice, that means no one in Mumbai can legally set off a rocket or any other aerial firecracker anywhere in the city for more than two weeks after Diwali.

Aerial firecrackers are the ones that fly into the sky and burst overhead — rockets are the best-known example. They are also the ones most likely to land on a roof, a balcony, a parked car or a pile of dry leaves and start a fire far from where they were lit. Ground crackers, such as sparklers, are not covered by this order, but the message from the city is clear: the most dangerous kind of firecracker is now off-limits.

Mumbai’s mayor, Ritu Tawde, appealed to citizens to celebrate Diwali responsibly and to follow the firecracker rules. The Mumbai Fire Brigade also issued a safety advisory, urging people to take care while bursting crackers and to follow fire prevention guidelines.

The BMC urged residents not to hold firecrackers in their hands, not to aim rockets and other aerial firecrackers towards buildings, and not to try to relight a cracker that has failed to go off. Anyone who sees a fire should call the Mumbai Fire Brigade on 101 immediately.

The ban follows directions from the Bombay High Court on bursting firecrackers, which the mayor’s appeal also referred to. Courts in India have set rules on when and where firecrackers can be burst, including time windows for the festival. In Delhi, for example, the Supreme Court’s restrictions on fireworks were widely ignored on Diwali night, with people bursting crackers well past the 10 pm deadline.

Three major fires — and a family tragedy nearby

While Mumbai escaped without deaths, the same night brought tragedy elsewhere in Maharashtra, the state of which Mumbai is the capital.

In Dharashiv district, six members of a family died of suffocation in a house fire on Diwali. The fire broke out in their home during the festival, and the family could not escape the smoke in time.

The Dharashiv deaths were part of a trail of blazes that marred Diwali celebrations across Maharashtra, officials said. In Mumbai alone, the three Level-II fires on Sunday night were a reminder of how quickly a celebration can turn into a disaster when a fire takes hold in a crowded building.

The same story across India

Mumbai was not the only city counting the cost of Diwali. Across India, hospitals and fire services reported a sharp rise in burn injuries and fire calls over the festival.

In Delhi, Safdarjung Hospital recorded 135 Diwali-related burn cases over two days, 7 and 8 November. Of those, 129 were caused by firecrackers and six by diyas, the small oil lamps lit during the festival. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi reported 42 Diwali-related burn injuries up to 9 November. Eight patients were still in hospital, one of them in critical condition.

A 10-year-old boy in Narela, in outer North Delhi, died after being injured by a firecracker on Diwali night, police said.

In Hyderabad, the fire department received 122 fire calls on Diwali, including a major blaze at a plywood godown in Rajendranagar. In Thane, near Mumbai, 50 people were rescued after a fire in a high-rise building. No casualties were reported there.

In Madhya Pradesh, twelve people were killed in two fire incidents in the Seoni and Katni districts during the Diwali festival. In Katni, an infant died in its mother’s lap in one of the fires.

Delhi also woke up on Monday morning to severe air pollution after the night of fireworks. The city’s Air Quality Index slipped into the “severe” category, with thick smog covering the capital. That is a separate problem from the fires, but it comes from the same cause: millions of firecrackers going off in a few hours.

Taken together, the picture is consistent across the country. Diwali 2026 brought more fires, more burn injuries and more emergency calls than the festival has in recent years — and Mumbai’s 137 fires in a single day is the sharpest example of it.

Why the numbers keep climbing

There is no single official explanation yet for why Mumbai’s firecracker fires jumped so sharply this year. But the pattern is easy to see.

First, more firecrackers were burst. The jump from 113 firecracker fires in the whole of Diwali 2025 to 137 in a single day in 2026 points to a much bigger volume of fireworks, or to more powerful ones, or both.

Second, aerial crackers are the main risk. Rockets and similar fireworks travel. A rocket lit on a street can land on a rooftop, a balcony or a dry patch of ground several buildings away, and the person who lit it may never see where it lands. That is why the BMC’s ban targets rockets and aerial crackers specifically, rather than all fireworks.

Third, cities are more crowded than ever. Mumbai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Homes, shops, parked vehicles and piles of waste sit close together, so a single stray rocket has many more things it can set alight than it would in an open area.

Fourth, enforcement is hard. Rules on when firecrackers can be burst exist, but they are difficult to enforce across a city of more than 20 million people on a festival night. In Delhi, the Supreme Court’s deadline was openly ignored. In Mumbai, the mayor’s appeal and the fire brigade’s advisory are attempts to change behaviour, but the record number of fires suggests that appeals alone have not been enough — which is why the city has now moved to a ban.

What happens next

The ban on rockets and aerial firecrackers in Mumbai runs until 11.59 pm on 25 November. The BMC and the fire brigade will be watching whether fire calls fall back to normal levels in the days after Diwali, and whether the ban is followed.

The two women injured in Sunday’s fires are the only reported injuries in Mumbai, but the city will also be counting the damage to homes, shops and vehicles from the 137 blazes.

Beyond Mumbai, the wider question is whether other Indian cities follow with their own restrictions. Delhi’s hospitals are still treating burn patients, and the pollution from Diwali night will take days to clear. The festival is over, but the debate about how India celebrates it — and how to keep it safe — is only beginning.

For now, Mumbai’s message is simple. If you are in the city, do not burst rockets or aerial crackers until after 25 November. Do not hold firecrackers in your hand. Do not aim them at buildings. Do not relight one that has failed. And if you see a fire, call 101.

Why it matters

Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in the world, celebrated by hundreds of millions of people. It is a festival of light, family and joy. But when 137 fires break out in one city in one night, it becomes a public safety issue as well.

Mumbai’s record night shows what happens when a festival built around fire meets a crowded modern city. The fires were not caused by one accident or one careless person. They were the result of thousands of small fires being lit at the same time, in the same city, on the same night — and the fire service being unable to be everywhere at once.

The ban until 25 November is the city’s answer. Whether it works will be judged not by the number of fines, but by the number of fire calls in the days ahead.

Frequently asked questions

How many fires were there in Mumbai on Diwali night?

The Mumbai Fire Brigade received 142 fire calls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Of those, 137 were caused by firecrackers. Two women were injured and no deaths were reported in Mumbai.

Is this a record?

Yes. The single-day tally of 137 firecracker fires is higher than the number recorded during the whole Diwali festival in 2024 (80) and in 2025 (113).

What has been banned in Mumbai?

Rockets and other aerial firecrackers are banned across Mumbai until 11.59 pm on 25 November 2026. The ban covers all public and private premises, including residential buildings, terraces, balconies, courtyards, parking areas and slum pockets.

Who issued the ban?

The Mumbai Disaster Management Authority, under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The order came into effect on Monday, 9 November.

Were there deaths in Maharashtra on Diwali?

Six members of a family died of suffocation in a house fire in Dharashiv district. No deaths were reported in Mumbai itself from the firecracker fires.

What should I do if I see a fire?

Call the Mumbai Fire Brigade on 101 immediately. Do not try to relight a firecracker that has failed to go off, do not hold firecrackers in your hand, and do not aim rockets towards buildings.

Conclusion

Mumbai’s Diwali night of 2026 will be remembered for a number: 137. That is how many firecracker fires broke out in the city in a single day — more than the whole festival produced in either of the two previous years. Two women were injured, three major fires stretched the fire brigade to its limit, and a family of six died in a house fire elsewhere in Maharashtra.

The city’s response was swift: a ban on rockets and aerial firecrackers until 25 November, a safety advisory from the fire brigade, and an appeal from the mayor to celebrate responsibly. The festival of lights is meant to bring light into people’s homes, not fire. This year, Mumbai learned that lesson the hard way — and the next two weeks will show whether the ban can keep the city safe while the celebrations continue.

Sources

• The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/mumbai-records-137-firecracker-induced-blazes-on-deepavali-highest-single-day-tally-in-years/article71682449.ece
• National Herald: https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/mumbai-diwali-firecracker-fires-bmc-ban-rockets-2026
• Rediff: https://www.rediff.com/news/report/mumbai-bans-aerial-firecrackers-after-diwali-fires-6-killed/20261109.htm
• The Print: https://theprint.in/india/6-killed-in-dharashiv-house-fire-on-diwali-mumbai-bans-aerial-crackers-after-multiple-blazes/3094331/
• News18: https://www.news18.com/cities/mumbai-news/rockets-aerial-firecrackers-banned-across-mumbai-after-multiple-fire-incidents-on-diwali-ws-l-10418978.html
• Mid-Day: https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-mayor-ritu-tawde-urges-citizens-to-celebrate-a-safe-diwali-follow-firecracker-rules-23659197
• The Economic Times: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/newsblogs/today-news-live-aqi-delhi-diwali-sales-weather-update-india-pm-modi-congress-us-iran-war-donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-attacks-9-november-2026/liveblog/135668469.cms

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.