Prayagraj: A fire broke out at a restaurant in Maha Kumbh Mela area in Prayagraj on Sunday, causing significant damage. The blaze started at Baba Tea Stall near Maharaj Bhog Prasadam area, completely gutting the establishment.
Firefighters were quickly deployed to the spot, and the flames were soon brought under control. Fortunately, no casualties were reported as all the customers and staff were safely evacuated in time.
Second fire incident in 24 hours
This incident marks the second fire reported on the same day at Maha Kumbh Mela. Earlier in the day, a fire broke out in a ‘Kalpvasi’ tent in Sector 19, which was caused by a gas cylinder leak. Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control within 10 minutes, and, thankfully, no one was hurt.
The tent, set up by Om Prakash Pandey Seva Sansthan and owned by Rajendra Jaiswal, a resident of Karma, Prayagraj, was completely destroyed despite the swift response of three fire tenders. Chief Fire Officer (Kumbh) Pramod Sharma confirmed the incident, stating that the fire was caused by a gas leak in one of the cylinders. The prompt action of the fire brigade prevented the situation from worsening.
Fire incidents at Maha Kumbh Mela in a month
This is not the first fire incident at the Maha Kumbh Mela area in the last few weeks. On 7 February, another fire had broken out in the ISKCON camp in Sector 18. Firefighters quickly responded, and the fire was extinguished with minimal damage. There were no reports of injuries in that incident.
Earlier, on 30 January, a fire broke out in the illegally constructed tent city ‘Just A Shivir’ located near Chhatnag village, on the outskirts of the Maha Kumbh Mela area. The fire destroyed 15 luxury cottages, but fortunately, no one was inside at the time. The fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit, and fire brigade teams brought the situation under control quickly.
On 19 January, a fire also occurred in Sector 19, at the Geeta Press Gorakhpur camp. Many cottages made of bamboo and straw were destroyed, and the fire worsened when LPG cylinders inside the cottages exploded. Luckily, no lives were lost in that incident either.
