Gangasagar blaze: Over 50 sheds gutted near Kapil Muni Ashram
Times of India | 10 January 2026
Gangasagar: A fire broke out at the Gangasagar Mela in early on Friday and gutted over 50 temporary sheds near the Kapil Muni Ashram. Officials said that no casualties had been reported.
Witnesses said the fire broke out between around 4.30 am at the mela site along Road No 2, around 400 m from the Kapil Muni Ashram and close to the No 2 bathing ghat. The sheds, made primarily of dry hogla leaves, caught fire instantly, and the flames spread rapidly due to strong morning winds.
According to police, a few workers were engaged in installing loudspeakers at the mela ground when they noticed flames rising from one of the temporary huts. Their alarm alerted others in the area, following which attempts were made to douse the fire using buckets of water. The fire, however, intensified within minutes, prompting an emergency call to the fire brigade.
Three fire tenders managed to bring the blaze under control. Firefighting operations continued for some time to prevent any flare-up. Officials from the district administration, including Sagar BDO Kanaiya Kumar Rai, senior police officers and local MLA Bankim Hazra, reached the site to oversee relief work.
While several sheds belonging to the information and cultural affairs department, police and media organisations were damaged, officials said that no pilgrims' accommodation sheds were affected. "There were no injuries or loss of life. Immediate steps were taken to begin reconstruction of the damaged sheds so that mela activities were not disrupted," an official said.
Bankim Hazra said preliminary findings suggested that an electrical short circuit could be the possible cause of the fire, though the exact reason is yet to be ascertained. "The labourers finished work late at night and were resting. During early morning installations, the fire was first noticed. Fire services responded promptly. Reconstruction work has already started," he said.
Authorities said additional safety measures would be implemented to prevent similar incidents.