18 tents gutted after cylinder blast at Maha Kumbh

A big fire broke out at the Maha Kumbh here on Sunday due to a cylinder blast, engulfing 18 tents in Sector 19, officials said. No casualty was reported in the incident.

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Thick clouds of smoke enveloped the mela area as panic gripped the nearby akhadas. Officials said 15 fire tenders managed to bring the blaze, which started at around 4 pm, under control within an hour.

CM Yogi Adityanath, who was in Prayagraj to review the preparations ahead of Mauni Amawasya, also reached the spot and directed authorities to take steps to avoid any such incident in future, they said.

Meanwhile, the PM spoke to Adityanath over phone to enquire about the incident.

“The CM told PM Modi that the blaze was quickly brought under control by teams of SDRF, NDRF and fire department,” a senior official said.

Prayagraj Zone Additional DGP Bhanu Bhaskar said the blaze had been extinguished.

“...People have been evacuated and the fire has been brought under control. No casualty was reported in the incident. The situation is normal here and losses are being quantified,” he said.

Bhaskar said the thatched roofs of the tents caught fire while the rest of the structures are still there. The police said that initially straw in a tent caught fire due to which an LPG cylinder exploded.

Prayagraj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mander said that they received information at 4.30 pm about a fire in a tent housing the Gita Press in Sector 19 of fair area.

“The blaze spread to some other tents. Fire brigade and police teams reached the spot and extinguished the blaze. There is no report of any loss of life," Mander said.

The affected area was cordoned off for pilgrims as onlookers shot the rising flames and smoke using their mobile phones.

In a post on X, the Samajwadi Party expressed its grief over the incident and asked the government to run rescue operation in fast pace.

Officials said that more than 46.95 lakh devotees took a dip in the Sangam on Sunday.