75 quick response vehicles to tackle fires at Maha Kumbh Mela: Official

Seventy five quick response vehicles, with fire-extinguishing capacities 20 times more effective than normal vehicles, will be used for the first time to tackle fire incidents during the Maha Kumbh Mela in January 2025.

Director General of Police (DGP) (Fire) Avinash Chandra said these small-sized vehicles, with a capacity of one ton, can easily access narrow areas.

Though equipped with a 100 litre tank, it can extinguish a raging fire that would normally require 2,000 litres of water, Chandra said.

Additionally, the vehicles will be equipped with tools for breaking, cutting, lifting, drilling and first aid, he said.

The DGP said that fire fighting boats, stationed in the Sangam area, will also be deployed for the first time.

These boats can extinguish fires up to 300 to 400 metres using river water, especially if there is a fire in the tents located along the river bank, Candra said.

"The department is purchasing six such boats. Along with this, all-terrain fire fighting vehicles capable of moving on sand will also be used, he added.

He said that this time 135 fire fighting motorcycles have been purchased for the Maha Kumbh Mela which will also be deployed in the fair.

Our target is a response time of 2 to 3 minutes. That is, the work of extinguishing the fire should start within two to three minutes of the fire breaking out, Chandra said.

He said that preventive measures are also being taken to avoid fire incidents, for which the fire department will coordinate with the electricity department from the very beginning.

Personnel from the fire department will be involved during the electrification of the tents and an inspection team will ensure that the electrical work has been done properly, he added.

Fifty fire stations and 20 temporary fire posts are being set up for the event, along with 50 watch towers, from which any smoke sightings will be immediately reported to the control room, he said.

Chandra said that 350 fire tenders are likely to be deployed in 2025 against 166 fire tenders in the 2019 Kumbh Mela. This time more than 2000 employees will also be deployed as compared to 1550 fire personnel in the last (2019) Kumbh, he said.

The fair area has increased by 25 per cent, from 3,200 hectares in 2019 to 4,000 hectares, increasing the responsibilities of the fire department, Chandra added.