A devastating fire gutted over a dozen temporary shades and stalls near Bathing Ghat No 2 at the congregation venue of Gangasagar Mela in the early hours of Friday.

No casualty occurred because of the fire, police said.

The fire broke out around 4.30am close to the Kapil Muni temple premises and spread rapidly, as most of the structures were made of highly inflammable materials such as dry hogla leaves and plastic sheets. While the exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained yet, preliminary investigation suggested that a short circuit in an electric supply cable had triggered the blaze.

Residents and occupants of nearby stalls were the first to notice the blaze and attempted to douse it. However, since the flames spread rapidly, they had to call the fire brigade. Two fire tenders and five firefighting bike tenders rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after nearly an hour of intense firefighting.

Personnel from the Gangasagar coastal police station also joined the operation to prevent further damage and maintain order. Eyewitnesses said they had heard deafening blast-like sounds, apparently caused by explosions of LPG cylinders stored inside one of the food stalls.

Officials of the South 24-Parganas district administration said several temporary shades meant to accommodate guests, senior police officers, officials of the information and cultural department, media personnel and members of NGOs such as the Bajrang Parishad were gutted in the blaze. The damage has necessitated immediate reconstruction, as a large number of guests are expected to arrive at the venue from Saturday.

Sagar MLA Bankim Hazra, block development officer Kanhaiya Kumar, and other senior officials of the South 24-Parganas district administration later visited the site and monitored the situation.

“The fire was quite unfortunate as an entire block of accommodation shades, which were in a ready-to-use condition, were completely gutted. These shades now need to be reconstructed for designated persons, as they will be attending the venue and staying here to ensure proper management of the congregation till the end of next week,” a senior district administration
official said.

The Gangasagar Mela, held annually during Makar Sankranti at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal, is considered the world’s second-largest religious congregation after the Kumbh Mela. Lakhs of Hindu pilgrims from different parts of the country and abroad gather on Sagar Island every year to take a holy dip at the sacred confluence.

Between January 8 and 17, a total of 32 vessels, nine barges, 100 launches, and 2,500 buses will be deployed to facilitate the movement of pilgrims.