Mahakumbh Mela 2025: Fire breaks out in two parked vehicles near mela venue in Prayagraj

A fire broke out in two parked vehicles in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on the main road leading to Mahakumbh Mela on Saturday morning, prompting authorities to rush several fire tenders to extinguish the flames. No one was hurt in the incident, police said.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Fire broke out in 2 vehicles in Prayagraj. Several fire tenders at the spot to douse the fire. More details awaited pic.twitter.com/GsZmqphNBr

— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2025

Speaking with news agency ANI, UP fire services officer Vishal Yadav said, "“We received information that a fire broke out in a Maruti Ertiga car at around 6:30 am. Six fire brigades and water tenders were sent immediately and the fire was controlled. No one was harmed in the fire.”

Yadav said that the recent fire was triggered by extreme heat resulting from the large number of vehicles parked for the Mahakumbh mela, the world's largest spiritual gathering currently taking place in the city.

#WATCH | Prayagraj, UP: Fire Officer Vishal Yadav says, "...Devotees are coming from far-flung areas and have parked their vehicles here. The fire broke out due to extreme heat. Fire engines have reached the spot and the fire has been controlled. The Ertiga car is completely… https://t.co/MCzvzobgIo pic.twitter.com/r4yykFzIWv

— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2025

This incident follows a fire that occurred at the Mahakumbh venue just a week earlier, which police attributed to an alleged cylinder explosion.

According to Vivek Chaturvedi, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of the Mahakumbh Mela, the fire broke out on January 19 at the Gita Press camp, resulting in the destruction of approximately 70 to 80 huts and eight to 10 tents.

NDRF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) MK Sharma reported that four teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) collaborated to bring the fire under control.

Following the incident, Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party (SP), called for urgent action regarding the fire and urged authorities to implement necessary measures to prevent similar accidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the state government reported that over 48.76 lakh devotees had visited the Mahakumbh mela in Prayagraj by 8 pm on Friday.