At least 15 tents were destroyed in a fire near Chamanganj Chowki, outside Sector 22 of the Maha Kumbh Mela on Thursday, January 30. Officials confirmed that there were no casualties.
Chief Fire Officer (Kumbh) Pramod Sharma said information about a fire was received this afternoon and the fire was extinguished immediately.
He said due to lack of road, fire engines had difficulty in reaching the spot.
However, the fire was completely extinguished and there was no loss of life or injury, he added.
Sharma said that according to the SDM, these tents were unauthorised.
“Fifteen tents were gutted in this fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated,” he said.
Maha Kumbh stampede claims 30 lives
This incident comes a day after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela on Wednesday, January 29, which resulted in at least 30 fatalities and 60 injuries.
The pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area occurred as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, considered one of the most auspicious days during the mela.
The deputy inspector general (DIG) of police Vaibhav Krishna during a press conference stated “The incident took place between 1-2 am due to the pressure of the crowd. The crowds broke through barricades and jumped to the other side, crushing those waiting there. Over 90 injured were rushed to the hospital, out of whom 30 died.”
2nd fire incident
On January 19, a massive fire broke out in Sector 19 of Maha Kumbh tent city, Prayagraj reportedly due to a cooking cylinder explosion. Fire tenders quickly brought the fire under control as visuals from the site showed plumes of smoke emerging.
Around 20-25 camps were reportedly destroyed in the fire. Additional director general of police, Bhanu Bhaskar confirmed, “The fire is under control. Everyone is safe, and no injuries have been reported. An investigation will follow.”
(With inputs from PTI)
