Massive Fire at Maha Kumbh: A massive fire broke out in the Maha Kumbh Mela area in Prayagraj on Sunday around 4:10 pm, engulfing the Gita Press camp in Sector 19 near Shastri Bridge. The blaze destroyed 180 cottages and started in the kitchen due to a small cylinder leak while making tea. Subsequently, two cylinders exploded, intensifying the fire.
Twelve fire brigade vehicles responded swiftly, bringing the fire under control by 5 pm. Approximately 500 people were rescued, but property worth lakhs, including ₹1 lakh belonging to a sanyasi, was lost.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site to assess the situation, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him for detailed updates. Notably, CM Yogi had surveyed the Maha Kumbh area from a helicopter just before the incident. Fair Chief Fire Officer Pramod Sharma confirmed the timely rescue operation, ensuring no casualties occurred during the unfortunate incident.
Fire Incident in Maha Kumbh Mela Area
On Sunday, January 19, a fire broke out in the Maha Kumbh Mela area between Sector 19’s old and new railway bridges, near the camp of Karpatri Ji, under Kotwali Ghunsi police station. The incident occurred at 4:10 pm in the kitchen of the Geeta Press Gorakhpur camp due to a small cylinder leak while making tea. The fire led to the explosion of two additional gas cylinders, destroying 40 thatched huts and six tents of Shri Sanjeev Prayagwal. Fire services, assisted by local Kalpvaasis and police, managed to control the blaze by 5:00 pm.
During the incident, Jaspreet sustained a leg injury while escaping, became unconscious, and was transported to the Central Hospital in Mahakumbh via ambulance. After receiving first aid, he was referred to Swarooprani Medical College, Prayagraj, for further treatment. Doctors confirmed that he is now out of danger. The fire also destroyed everyday items such as beds, cots, blankets, chairs, and tables.
Gita Press Trustee’s Statement
Krishna Kumar Khemka, a trustee of Gita Press, expressed his anguish over the incident. “We built about 180 cottages with great care and declared the area beyond our boundary as circulatory. However, it appears that some fire object from outside entered our area and caused the fire, which destroyed everything. Despite strict instructions against fire-related activities, the fire spread, and our kitchen, a tin shed with a concrete base, was reduced to ashes,” he stated.
Mahakumbh 2025: The fire was extinguished in just 22 minutes
The Integrated Control Command Centre (ICCC) here is constantly monitoring the crowd management to run smoothly and avoid any untoward incident. Explaining the modus
operandi, Amit Kumar said that whenever the crowd at a particular place exceeds the prescribed limit, an alert pops up on the screen and the information is passed on to the wireless grid.
At this point, teams on the ground swing into action and diversions are made as required. There are 13 contingency plans defined in the SOP, with a different modus operandi for each plan. He further explained that every time a barricade breaks or there is a jam with traffic merging from all directions or even a fire, an alert pops up.
The fire caused by a cylinder explosion on Sunday was also alerted to the ICCC within seconds and water tenders reached the spot within 7 minutes. The fire was extinguished in 22 minutes and there were no casualties.
Fire broke out while making tea from a small cylinder
It has been revealed that the fire started due to leakage of a small cylinder while making tea in the kitchen of Geeta Press. Due to the fire, 2 gas cylinders kept in the kitchen exploded and 40 thatched huts and Sanjeev Prayagwal’s tent were burnt.
While running away from the fire, Jaspreet got injured in his leg and fell unconscious. He was brought to the Central Hospital of Maha Kumbh Mela by ambulance for treatment. After first aid there, he was sent to Swaroop Rani Medical College (SRN), Prayagraj. Due to the fire, the items of daily use, bed, cot, blanket, chair etc. kept in the tent were burnt and destroyed.
PM and CM Yogi kept taking updates every moment
After the fire broke out in the Maha Kumbh Mela, PM Modi and CM Yogi kept taking updates of the relief operations every moment. CM Yogi’s quick response policy worked. Due to this, the fire brigade reached the spot within a few minutes. The Chief Minister stopped the fleet and gave way to the fire brigade.
Yogi informed the Prime Minister about the entire incident and said that there was no loss of life. The fire was brought under control immediately.
CM Yogi has directed that all emergency services should remain in 24×7 alert mode.
PM Modi called CM Yogi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took complete information from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the fire incident in the Maha Kumbh Mela area. The Chief Minister told him that the efficient fire brigade and the NDRF, SDRF teams controlled the fire in time. There have been no casualties, there has been no loss of life. The situation is under control.
Trustee of Gita Press said- 180 cottages have been burnt
Krishna Kumar Khemka, a trustee of Gita Press, said, “There were about 180 cottages. We had built them very carefully. Everyone was forbidden to do anything related to fire. The area beyond where we had built the boundary was declared as a circulatory area. I don’t know to whom the administration gave that place… something fire-causing came towards us from that side and the fire spread. Nothing of ours was left, everything was destroyed. Our kitchen was a tin shed, it was concrete.”
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