A fire broke out late Thursday night in an enclosure in Sector 4 of Mahakumbh Nagar, injuring at least one person who was hospitalized. Fire tenders arrived around 11:30 PM to contain the blaze, which occurred near Shastri Bridge, just after the Maha Kumbh festival’s conclusion on February 26. The injured, 73-year-old Bihari Lal, recounted returning to his tent when the fire started, noting that five basic tents were consumed by flames. Other occupants, including an unresponsive individual, had to be rescued. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and officials have yet to confirm additional injuries.
Mahakumbh Nagar:
A fire erupted in an enclosure situated in Sector 4 of Mahakumbh Nagar, as reported by officials on Friday.
According to officials, the blaze started late Thursday night. One person was rescued with injuries and transported to a medical facility in an ambulance just before midnight.
Multiple fire tenders were dispatched to the scene around 11:30 pm on Thursday.
Even a day after the Maha Kumbh 2025 concluded on February 26, crowds continued to gather at the Triveni Sangam, and onlookers began to assemble as the fire tenders arrived at the site, having passed the ceremonial Nandi Dwar.
There has yet to be an official statement regarding the nature or cause of the fire.
The fire, which broke out in an enclosure near the Shastri Bridge, has been contained, according to fire department personnel on duty late at night.
The elderly man who was rescued had a wound on his nose and one hand covered in spots.
PTI attempted to engage him in conversation while he was seated in the ambulance, but he seemed to be in shock.
Chief Fire Officer of Mahakumbh Nagar, Pramod Sharma, remarked in the early hours of Friday, “The fire started in a sanitation colony located in Sector 4, around 11:30 pm. It was a ‘chholdari’ tent (basic tent).” He confirmed that one person was injured in the incident.
The injured man, who later introduced himself as Bihari Lal, 73, a resident of Prayagraj district, recounted the events while displaying the burn injuries on his right hand.
“I returned to the enclosure after receiving medical assistance,” he stated.
“There were five ‘chholdari’ tents that were destroyed. I was inside one of them with another person who was asleep. I had come back from the bathroom to my tent and was attempting to sleep when it happened. I don’t know how it ignited,” Lal informed PTI in the early hours of Friday.
He noted that he and others tried to wake up the person sleeping beside him, but it was in vain, which likely led to his injuries.
Inside the enclosure, a couple of other ‘chholdari’ tents remained, and one of the two men inside stated that he and others were staff members assigned to the mega festival, responsible for sprinkling water on the checkered plates laid out to create temporary pathways in the Mela area.
He claimed the other tents were unoccupied, and besides Lal, the individual sharing the tent with him had also suffered injuries and was taken to a hospital.
However, no official verification on this has been provided.
Several motors and sprinkler hoses were visible inside the enclosure.
On the burned side, charred items, tarred steel plates, and a coiled sprinkle hose were lying on the ground.
A visitor from Chennai, who arrived at the site of the incident around 11:30 pm on Thursday after witnessing the response of fire tenders, commented, “The elderly man who got injured had tears in his eyes while sitting in a corner of the enclosure before being rescued. I even attempted to talk to him as he was being taken to an ambulance.”
Maha Kumbh occurs at the convergence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj.
Shastri Bridge spans the Ganga river.
This religious event, which takes place every 12 years, commenced on January 13 (Paush Purnima) and featured grand parades of Naga Sadhus and three ‘Amrit Snans’. The final auspicious ‘snan’ occurred on Mahashivratri on Wednesday.
Over 66 crore individuals participated in the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam throughout the Maha Kumbh mela.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)