"Diya"-Related Burn Injuries during the Diwali Period: A 5-Year Retrospective Review from a Tertiary Care Hospital in India.

Diwali is a festival that is passionately celebrated by Indians all across the globe. Fire hazards associated with this festival are well known. Our hospital is a tertiary care burn center and caters to a patient population from all over North India. Firecracker burns and diya burns constitute two major causes of burn injuries during the festival of Diwali. Since, diya-related burn injuries have been overlooked in the past, this study was primarily designed to study the demographical data of "diya burns" during Diwali.  The departmental records were analyzed for 3 days around Diwali festival over a period of 5 years from 2018 to 2022.  The results indicated that almost a third of all Diwali-related burns were caused by diyas (32.5%). A "burning diya left on floor" was the main reason for these injuries. Females were the most affected (70.4%). Additionally, one-third of these patients required admission.  This study emphasizes the need for raising awareness regarding the proper use of "diyas" to bring down the incidence of such preventable burn injuries.