Cylinder blast sparks major fire, 18 tents gutted at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj

A massive fire broke out at Mahakumbh mela in Prayagraj on Sunday. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the incident.

According to local media, the fire broke out in Sector 19 of Mahakumbh Tent City. Police said it was due to an explosion of cooking cylinders.

Kumbh Mela Chief Fire Officer Pramod Sharma said nearly 15 fire brigade were deployed to control the fire that engulfed at least 18 tents.

Prayagraj district magistrate Ravindra Kumar told the media that the fire broke out at 4.30 pm in the Gita press tent. " There is no information of any casualty. The situation is under control," he said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took note of the fire incident. He also visited the spot and spoke to officials and firefighters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Adityanath about the fire at Mahakumbh, sources said.

UP minister AK Sharma told the media that the fire was controlled in 20 minutes.

"There has been no loss of lives in the incident and for that, I thank Ma Ganga, Triveni, and Lete Hanuman ji. Our police team and NDRF are at the spot," he said.

For the unversed, Maha Kumbh started on January 13 and will go on till February 26.

Devotees from all over the country and world are taking the holy dip in the spiritual atmosphere of the holy confluence. In just 6 days of Mahakumbh, more than 7 crore devotees and saints have taken the holy dip at Triveni Sangam.