In a tragic incident, a fire broke out in Sector 19 of the Mahakumbh Tent City, triggered by the explosion of cooking cylinders.

The incident took place at the Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on January 19.

Visuals showed several huts engulfed in flames, with thick grey smoke billowing from them. Panicked people were seen running around, desperately trying to extinguish the fire.

According to reports, Kumbh Mela Chief Fire Officer Pramod Sharma stated that 15 fire tenders were deployed to control a blaze that engulfed 18 tents. “The fire has been extinguished, and there are no reported casualties. The situation is under control,” said Prayagraj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar.

The fire, which broke out around 4:10 pm, started in the kitchen of the Geeta Press camp near Karpatriji’s camp in Sector 19, situated between the old and new railway bridges in the Mahakumbh Mela area. “Fifteen fire tenders were immediately pressed into service to contain the blaze, and everyone was safely evacuated from the site,” Pramod Sharma added.

Additional Director General (Prayagraj) Bhanu Bhaskar confirmed that modern equipment was used to quickly extinguish the fire. Initial investigations suggest that the blaze was caused by a gas leak while making tea with a small cylinder in the camp’s kitchen.

Suspecting a cylinder blast could have sparked the fire, administration promptly removed all gas cylinders from the affected area to prevent further escalation.

In the midst of the chaos, one person injured his leg while fleeing and fell unconscious. He has been admitted to Swaroop Medical College in Prayagraj, where his condition is stable and not life-threatening, officials confirmed.