A massive fire broke out on stage during a cultural event Maharashtra Night at the Make In India week in Mumbai Sunday. PTI Photo
Mumbai / Bhubaneswar, Feb 14: A massive fire Sunday night engulfed the stage at a cultural event held at the Girgaum Chowpatty seafront in Mumbai where a string of film celebrities and political leaders were present as part of the high-profile Make in India investment meet. However, no casualties were reported.
The Orissa pavilion has not been affected by the fire. Orissa industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the Orissa Pavilion is located at a different corner from the place where the fire broke out in the evening.
The fire that broke out at 8.22 pm was put under control, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. “No casualties reported, no one is injured,” he said.
All the VVIPs, including Fadnavis, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, as well as actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, were moved to safer areas. The programme was later called off. Bachchan had left the stage a few minutes before the fire broke out.
The disaster management plan put in place ensured the safe passage of the people attending the event, said Fadnavis, who personally monitored the evacuation operation.
The blaze, which broke out when a lavani (dance) performance was underway, was brought under control by 14 fire engines and 10 water tankers.
The exact cause of the fire was not known but state BJP spokesman Atul Shah, who was seated in the front row, said the fire apparently broke out from beneath the stage. Shiv Sena MLA Vijay Shivtare said a spark was noticed beneath the stage, which was a “wooden structure”, before the fire broke out. Shivtare said there were 500 artistes behind the stage and an estimated 50,000 people, several of them VIPs, had assembled at the venue.
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who was at one of the flanks of the stage and was getting ready to perform another event, said the flames leapt 4O to 50 feet high and there was threat of it spreading beause of the strong sea breeze. PNN
