Eighteen tents were gutted when fire broke out in a part of the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on Sunday, official sources said here.
The incident happened in Sector 19 of Maha Kumbh Nagar in Jhoonsi area in the afternoon, when tents erected beneath Shastri bridge caught fire. However, there were no reports of any loss of life, the sources said.
“No loss of life has been reported in the incident,” they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and inquired about the fire incident in the Kumbh Mela area.
The CM apprised PM Modi of all the facts and said that the efficient Fire Brigade, teams of NDRF, and SDRF timely controlled the fire and there was no loss of life. He said that the situation was under control.
Earlier, the CM visited the spot and took stock of the situation. He directed the officials to submit a detailed report at the earliest.
Sources said that the entire area was cordoned off and the fire tenders along with firefighters reached the spot immediately. “The situation was controlled immediately,” they said.
The cause of the fire was still to be ascertained. “It is being speculated that the fire broke out when food was being cooked,” the sources said.
Senior officers along with Mela authorities reached the spot following the directives of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and are assessing the situation and the loss caused by the fire.
District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar said that information regarding the fire in the tent of Geeta Press in the Kumbh area was received at around 4:30 PM. “Information regarding the fire in the tent of 10 Prayagwal was also received which was controlled immediately. The situation is normal and under control,” he said.
Chief Fire Officer (Kumbh) Pramod Sharma said that a fire broke out in the camp of Geeta Press beneath Shastri bridge. “Several camps were gutted in the fire. The area was sealed and around 15 fire tenders controlled the fire,” he said.
He said that the reasons behind the incident were being probed.
