Mahakumbh fire: Cylinder blasts sparked blaze in Prayagraj, says UP minister

"I got the information that three cylinders had exploded and that led to the spread of the fire... The blaze was brought under control within 20 minutes," Sharma told ANI.

He said that around 100 people were in the shivir area (of Gita Press camp), but there were no casualties.

"Almost 100 people were there in the shivir but with the blessings of Ma Ganga there has been no causality," the minister said.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of the Maha Kumbh Mela, Vivek Chaturvedi confirmed that earlier today around 70 to 80 huts and around 8 to 10 tents were burnt in a fire that had broken out in the Gita Press camp in the Maha Kumbh area.

Speaking to ANI, the ADM said, "Unfortunately a fire broke out at the Gita Press camp. It is reported that around 70 to 80 huts and eight to 10 tents have been burnt. There are no reports of any casualties. Everyone has been rescued safely. The fire has been extinguished."

NDRF Deputy Inspector in General (DIG) MK Sharma said that four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had worked together and brought the fire under control.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the fire.

The Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that the skilled brigades of NDRF and SDRF had controlled the fire in time.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Harish Chandra Srivastava lashed out at the opposition for blaming the government without knowing the facts.

"The fire broke out due to a cylinder blast in the Gita Press camp. The opposition is so hostile that they comment before knowing the facts. The accusation by the opposition parties about these things is very superficial and is proof of their hostile politics," Srivastava told ANI.

The Maha Kumbh began on January 13 and will continue until February 26. (ANI)