KOLKATA: A fire broke out at the Gangasagar Mela ground on Friday, gutting several temporary shelters on Sagardwip island in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, officials said.
The annual Gangasagar Mela began on Friday, and the fire broke out in the early hours.
Several temporary shanties and tents set up for housing pilgrims visiting the Sagar Islands during the auspicious occasion were burnt completely. However, fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far because of the fire mishap.
According to the district police sources, the fire broke out early in the morning at one of the shanties built from cane grass, which is highly inflammable in nature. And, because of the strong winds, the fire spread quickly to other adjacent temporary shanties and tents set up as shelters for the pilgrims and visitors.