Official ensures robust fire safety measures post incident at Mahakumbh

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 20 (ANI): Avinash Chandra, DG Fire, has addressed the ongoing investigation into the Mahakumbh fire incident that occurred on Sunday.
He stated that the police have the authority to investigate, and local authorities are handling the case and also noted that while rumours are circulating, the exact cause would be determined after a thorough investigation.
"The police have the right to investigate this incident. Local police authorities are at it. There are many rumours but the exact reason would be revealed after the investigation," he said.
Regarding fire safety arrangements, Chandra highlighted the extensive preparations in place at the Kumbh.
"In the entire Kumbh area, fire safety has been taken with great sincerity. 53 fire stations and 20 fire posts have been built and more than 1300 firemen have been deployed. More than 300 vehicles have been deployed. We will strengthen it even further. The magnitude is so big that there are nine fire stations in the entire Prayagraj district, and there are 53 fire stations and 20+ fire posts in Mahakumbh alone. The manpower in Prayagraj is 175 and 1300+ manpower in Mahkumbh. In a big district like Lucknow, there are 11 fire stations and around 200 manpower. Here, there is manpower of 1400. The area of one fire station is around 800 square metres, which means that it will take less than three to four minutes for the fire vehicle of one fire station to reach the spot," he said.
Chandra reassured that the response time for fire emergencies is three minutes, with vehicles reaching the spot in under three-four minutes.
"Our response time is around three minutes. All the devotees who want to come here should come without any worry, we will provide them with infallible fire and police arrangements," he added.
On Sunday, a fire had broken out in Mahakumbh due to an explosion of three cooking gas cylinders. There has been no casualties in the mishap. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site of the fire and spoke to officials and firefighting teams on the spot.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and took cognizance of the incident. (ANI)