National Fire Service Day is observed annually on April 14 to remember the valour of the fire service personnel who fought the blaze of the 1944 Bombay Ship Explosion. On that unfortunate day, freighter SS Fort Stikine, carrying a mixed cargo of cotton bales, gold, and ammunition including around 1,400 tons of explosives, caught fire and was destroyed in two giant blasts. Reportedly, more than 66 firefighters lost their lives in the incident.
