A massive fire broke out on the stage of a cultural programme, organised by the Maharashtra Government as part of the ongoing Make in India' week on the sands of Girgaon Chaupati in South Mumbai, on Sunday night, prompting the organisers to cancel the event. However, no one among the scores of artistes or VVIPs, present either on the stage or sitting in the vicinity of the stage, was injured in the mishap.
Maharashtra Chief Minister termed the incident sad and assured the Prime Minister that a comprehensive probe would be ordered and those responsible for it would face action.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spoke to Devendra Fadnavis to take stock of the situation was assured of a speedy investigation by the CM who supervised the fire-fighting and evacuation operations.
The stage of Maharashtra Rajani, showcasing the culture of the State, erupted in flames, when noted Marathi actress Puja Sawant was performing a lavani dance. There were 50 to 60 artistes on stage and in the nearby green rooms when the fire broke out.
However, there were no casualties as the artistes and VVIPs sitting in the front row of the audience were swiftly evacuated to safety. The prominent personalities present among the audience included Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao, Devendra Fadnavis, his wife Amruta, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, actor-turned-BJP MP Hema Malini, actors Aamir Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Isha Koppikar, Katrina Kaif and the crème de la crème of Mumbai society.
The mishap will, however, have no bearing on the other events of the ongoing Make in India week, which are taking place at the MMRDA Grounds at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in north-central Mumbai.
The cultural event started at around 7 pm and was to end around 10 pm with a laser show and fireworks display. However, the fire resulted in the cancellation of the programme.
Said to have originated from one of the greenrooms set up on the rear side of the stage shortly after 8.15 pm, the fire spread rapidly to the stage erected by renowned art direct Nitin Desai. The fire brigade personnel attributed the rapid spread of fire to the wood and cotton fabric used for erecting the stage, coupled with the breeze from the sea.
In all, 16 fire engines, 10 water tankers and a host of fire brigade personnel battled with the blaze for nearly two hours. Though the fire had been brought under control 90 minutes after its break out, the fire brigade personnel were involved in the cooling operations till very late in the night.
In a series of tweets put out from the mishap venue, Fadnavis stated: "Very unfortunate occurrence of fire in cultural program organised by GoM at Mumbai. No casualties reported, no one is injured. .16 fire engines,10 Water Tankers, and all Sr. Fire Officers are on site. Fire now totally under control. Program called off."
"A fire safety audit was conducted prior to program & all SOPs were followed. Number of fire-fighting equipment were kept stationed at venue," the Chief Minister tweeted.
Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who was one of the main anchors at the event, said: "By God's grace, no one was injured in the fire. The fire brigade and police personnel, who were present in large numbers, evacuated the artists present on the stage and green rooms. Soon after the fire was noticed, the artists were whisked away to the vanity vans stationed in the vicinity of the stage".