After a Canadian family lost their home to Diwali fireworks, Indian singer and voice actor Chinmayi Sripaada said that the Indian community there should come together and rebuild their home.
“The Indian community should basically rebuild his house for him,” Sripaada wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Indian community should basically rebuild his house for him. https://t.co/vZRUndBHHM
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) October 24, 2025
In a separate post, she mentioned, “The moment Indians leave the country, they say Deepavali is not about fireworks, but inside India, it is about fireworks and fireworks only.”
‘Celebrate Diwali but…’: Man who lost his home
The man, who lost his home to Diwali fireworks, recalled the terrifying moment he learnt about the fire in his backyard. While speaking to CTV News, he said, “The fireworks were quite loud. My daughter came out of her room saying there was an orange glow in the backyard, and I was like Oh, that’s interesting and I looked out. That’s obviously a fire; we confirmed that we got out of the house and called 9-1-1.”
He added that the fire spread quickly, destroying his car and garage, and leaving holes in the roof. “The back of the house is pretty scorched,” he further said.
He urged the administration to increase fines on fireworks to prevent similar incidents.
“It’s a thousand-dollar fine right now; it should be ten thousand, five thousand,” the man, who is visibly emotional, said, before adding, “My house is gone.”
He went on to say, “Celebration for your holiday, that’s fine, but it should not be a result of my house burning down, period.”
Another Indian-origin resident, Teena Andrews, whose home was also damaged in the Diwali fireworks, called the incident “pure carelessness and stupidity.”
‘I am Indian, but I am ashamed,’ another resident who lost home
“Last night, we had a fire accident because people were carelessly bursting Diwali fireworks, and one of the houses that burned was ours,” she wrote on Facebook.
She shared that since the incident, she and her husband are “traumatised and in shock”.
Andrews added, “I’m Indian, but today I’m totally ashamed to say so. This is not culture; this is pure carelessness and stupidity. Have some common sense! Everything around here is made of wood. Why would anyone think it’s okay to burst fireworks near houses?”
Andrews asked, “What’s the point of celebrating Diwali if your fireworks end up burning someone else’s home? Where’s the joy and light in that?”
She went on to say that she is now scared of the fireworks and urged people to celebrate the festivals of light responsibly.
“If you can’t celebrate responsibly, don’t celebrate at all. Please, let others live peacefully,” she said.
‘No permit, no fireworks’: Police
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) urged people to celebrate Diwali safely and reminded residents that fireworks cannot be set off within city limits without a permit.
“No permit. No fireworks. Light up your home, not your neighbour’s roof. Celebrate Diwali safely,” the police said.
Police said that three adult men have been charged with arson for recklessly causing damage by fire or explosion following the large residential fire near 25 Avenue and 24 Street. Police also noted fireworks were launched from a backyard, and sparks landed on a row of townhomes, setting them on fire.
Outrage on social media
“Indians have been living in the USA since the 70s, or even before. Has any such uncivilised behaviour been reported in the past decades?” asked one social media user, who goes by “@Ganesh_Japan” online, while sharing the gut-wrenching video of the fire caused by Diwali fireworks.
He added, “Most houses there are wooden. People are aware of the fire risk, but they are not bothered; they just set off more firecrackers.”
The social media user added, “These practices will definitely cause more damage to both the home and the host countries and to future immigrants. The worst part is that they have never bothered to think about the next generation. Their own kids are gonna face the consequences of what they do today.”
Yet another individual, Tarun Gautam, shared a video of the fire department dousing flames and called out the behaviour of Indians celebrating the festival with utmost irresponsibility. He asked, “Is this the image of India & Hindus you are creating in foreign lands?”