Fire at Prayagraj was caused by cylinder blast, situation under control now, says police

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 19 (ANI): The fire that broke out at a camp at the Maha Kumbh Mela, being held at Prayagraj, was allegedly caused due to a cylinder blast, the police said on Sunday.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Bhanu Bhaskar said that upon receiving the information, fire tenders, along with the officials of fire administration, Police and the SDRF team arrived at the spot

The fire has been controlled and the situation is normal. No casualties have been reported from the blaze, the official said.
"We recieved information at 4.08 pm that a fire broke out due to a cylinder blast in sector 19. Acting upon the information, fire tenders, fire administration, Police and the SDRF team arrived at the spot. In a swift response, the people were evacuated," ADGP Bhaskar told ANI.
"The fire was brought under control by 4.30 pm. No casualties have been reported. The situation is normal here," he said.

District Magistrate of Prayagraj, Ravindra Kumar Mandhad also spoke to ANI and said, "Today we received information about a fire in the Gita Press camp in Kumbh area Sector 19. The fire brigade and police team reached the spot. Along with Gita Press, fire was also reported in the tents of 10 Prayagwal, which has been extinguished. The situation is normal, there is no report of any loss of life."

Maha Kumbh Mela Deputy Inspector General of Police, Vaibhav Krishna also spoke to ANI about the incident and said, "There is no loss of life. Loss of property has been reported, it is being surveyed. There are no injuries also, as of now. We will find out the cause of the fire in the enquiry. Our priority as of now is the evacuation of the people and their safety. Around 15 fire tenders are present at the spot. We received information around 4.08 and controlled the fire by 4.30. CM Yogi also reviewed the situation. All the senior officials are present at the spot."
One of the witnesses to the fire said the fire was caused due to cylinder blast but has now been controlled.
"The blast in a cylinder led to the fire. It spread to the nearby areas, however it was controlled on time," he said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also took cognisance of the fire incident that took place.
He visited the site of the fire and spoke to officials and firefighting teams on the spot. (ANI)