Fire burns thru multiple tents at India Maha Kumbh festival

Fire engulfs a tented camp near the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati rivers during the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. AP Photo

NEW DELHI (AP/UNB) — A fire tore through at least 18 temporary tents at a massive Hindu festival thronged by millions of people in India’s northern Prayagraj city, officials said Sunday. There were no injuries.

The blaze was caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder and was contained by firefighters, police said.

Images from the sprawling tent city at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers showed smoke billowing out as dozens of firefighters doused the blaze.

The Maha Kumbh festival, held every 12 years, started last Monday and is the world's largest religious gathering. At least 77 million people are attending and authorities expected more than 400 million in total over the next six weeks.

Hindus believe that bathing at the confluence will cleanse them of their sins and release them from the cycle of rebirth.

To accommodate tens of thousands of holy men, pilgrims and tourists visiting the festival, authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks. It's equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and also has roads, electricity and water, communication towers and 11 hospitals.

About 50,000 security personnel are stationed in the city to maintain law and order and crowd management.