Prayagraj, January 14. A fire broke out at the ongoing Magh Mela in Prayagraj for the second time in 24 hours. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening in a tent situated in Sector 4. While videos circulating on social media suggested that 10 to 15 tents were affected, officials have clarified that this is not accurate.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Mela, Animesh Singh, provided details about the incident in a conversation with a news agency. He confirmed that the exact cause of the fire is under investigation, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
Animesh Singh stated, “We received information about the fire at 6:01 PM at Brahmasthan in Sector 4. Eight fire engines were dispatched immediately and managed to control the blaze. Two tents were completely destroyed, and a third suffered partial damage. There was no loss of life or significant property damage.” He added that the items within the tents, including clothes and beds, were burnt to ashes. However, the timely response of the fire department helped prevent further damage.
He noted that while the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, preliminary assessments suggest it might have originated from a lit lamp used for evening prayers. Investigations are ongoing to establish the precise cause.
The previous day, a fire broke out in the Narayan Shukla Dham camp in Sector 5 on Tuesday evening. This blaze was severe, destroying 15 tents and 20 shops. Authorities, including police and fire services, responded quickly to evacuate people safely and battled the flames for hours with five fire engines.
Reports indicate that the earlier fire was caused by a short circuit, which allowed the flames to spread rapidly. Just a day later, yet another incident occurred at the Mela.
The Magh Mela commenced on January 3 and will continue until Mahashivratri on February 15. Due to Makar Sankranti, a large number of devotees flocked to the Sangam Ghat for rituals on Wednesday.