A fire broke out in the ISKCON area of Mahakumbh Nagar on Friday.
Thanks to the extensive preparations made by the Yogi Adityanath government, no casualties were reported and a major mishap was averted.
The fire, caused by a short circuit in the camps of Swami Hariharanand and Swami Sukhdevanand, quickly spread to over a dozen tents, reducing them to ashes.
As soon as the incident was reported, a dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and they quickly brought the fire under control, preventing any significant damage or casualties.
Chief Fire Officer Pramod Sharma disclosed that the fire in the ISKCON area was caused by a short circuit, burning 20 to 22 tents but fortunately, there were no casualties. He said the firefighters acted quickly and prevented the fire from spreading further.
As soon as the incident was reported, Zonal Police Officer of North Jhusi, Additional Superintendent of Police Sarvesh Kumar Mishra, local police and the Maha Kumbh Mela magistrate arrived at the scene and assessed the situation.
The administration has urged devotees to remain cautious and report any emergencies to the authorities immediately.
To prevent fire incidents at Maha Kumbh, the government has taken extensive safety measures. A total of 50 fire stations and 20 fire posts have been set up across the Maha Kumbh Mela area, along with 4,300 fire hydrants to tackle any emergency effectively. Over 351 fire tenders and 2,000 trained personnel have been deployed to ensure maximum safety. The tents of all akharas have been equipped with fire-fighting equipment.
This is the third fire incident that has been reported in the Maha Kumbh Mela area. On January 19, a massive fire broke out in the Maha Kumbh Mela area’s Sector 19 due to a cylinder blast. While no casualties were reported, the blaze had left over a dozen camps gutted.
Earlier, on January 25, two cars caught fire in Sector 2 of the Maha Kumbh Mela area, but no casualties were reported. Short circuit in one car led to the fire which then spread to the other vehicle standing next to it, according to officials.
The Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will continue until February 26.