In an unusual move a day after Diwali, the Thane district collector and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday banned rockets and similar aerial firecrackers after firecrackers led to 137 of the 142 fire calls in Mumbai on Sunday, putting most of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region under prohibitory orders for at least two weeks.

The ban in Mumbai runs until 11.59 pm on November 25. In Thane district, which includes the municipal corporations of Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mira Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivali, Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagar, it runs until 11.59 pm on January 8, 2027, about six weeks longer. Vasai Virar and Panvel, which fall under Palghar and Raigad districts respectively, are not covered.

The orders follow a surge in firecracker-related fires over Diwali. In Mumbai, firecrackers caused 96 per cent of the fires reported on Sunday, according to BMC data.…