Quick and immediate response by healthcare staff proved to be vital for a patient who got injured while trying to escape the fire that broke out at the Kumbh Mela on 19 January. An ambulance took the patient named Jaspreet to the Central Hospital. After first aid, the patient was then referred to Swaroop Rani Medical College, Prayagraj for further treatment. Doctors said that the patient’s condition was stable.
According to officials, the fire started around 4 PM on Sunday at the Karpatra Dham Varanasi and Geeta Press Gorakhpur camps. Within minutes, it escalated, destroying nearly 300 bamboo-and-thatch cottages. The blaze also consumed five motorcycles and cash amounting to ₹5 lakh. During the chaos, more than ten LPG cylinders exploded, intensifying the fire. The incident caused panic as thick black smoke billowed into the sky. No fatalities were reported. However, Zee Media, a leading media house in India, reported that one pilgrim named Jaspreet got injured while trying to escape flames.
Firefighters, already stationed at the venue as part of safety measures, rushed to the scene and managed to control the blaze after an hour of effort. Over 15 fire engines were deployed to extinguish the fire. Preliminary assessments indicate losses exceeding ₹2.5 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi contacted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to inquire about the incident. The Chief Minister, who was inspecting the Mela grounds at the time, immediately dispatched senior officials to the site and later visited it himself with three ministers. He directed the administration to conduct relief operations on a priority basis and ordered an investigation into the fire’s cause.
The affected camps, located near Mori Marg and Peepa Bridge No. 12, were spread across a 5,000-square-foot area. Devotees from Shri Karpatra Dham and Geeta Press Gorakhpur were staying in approximately 300 cottages. The fire reportedly began in the cottage of a devotee named Pawan Tripathi. Witnesses saw smoke rising, and before they could react, flames engulfed the structure. Despite efforts to douse the fire with water, strong winds caused the blaze to spread rapidly.
The situation caused chaos and confusion, leading to the evacuation of surrounding tents for safety. DIG Mahakumbh Vaibhav Krishna stated that the fire’s cause would be thoroughly investigated, while District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar confirmed that the situation was under control, with no reports of casualties.
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