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Make in India event in Mumbai: Here are three possible reasons behind the fire

Questions have emerged about whether all the guidelines and warnings were followed at the venue.

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Make in India Mumbai event fire (File Photo)
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Varying versions have emerged about the causes leading to the blazing fire that brought down the stage at the Make in India event in Girgaum Chowpatty in Mumbai on Sunday evening.

As per a report in a leading English daily, it appears that the Maharashtra government chose to ignore guidelines and warnings which led to the fire and put lives of many in danger.

According to fire officials, the blaze may have been caused due to firecrackers that were set off at the venue. Fire station officer A Bhor who was posted at the venue told Mumbai Mirror that assistant divisional fire officer Karl D'Souza had sent a letter to the organisers on Saturday to make sure no firecrackers are burst. But this was not followed. However, Bhor added that the reason behind the fire has not been confirmed yet.

Some officials also said that the fire may have started due to a short circuit. The stage creator Nitin Desai told the daily, "This was clearly due to a short circuit. I prepared the stage and handed it over at 4.30 pm, and my responsibility ended there. The wiring was done later." He denied any flaw in the sets which could have led to the blaze.
"A fire audit will ascertain reasons but I am sure it was not due to the sets," he told PTI.

Additional Chief Secretary KP Bakshi said that a gas leak may have taken place due to pressure cylinders meant to light up firecrackers later.

Meanwhile, fire brigade officials said they would be probing all aspects, including finding out if there was a sabotage angle involved. 

 

But event organiser Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd has refuted all allegations of negligence and said in a statement that prior to the event, all safety checks and audits were done. "All fire and safety norms prescribed were followed. We are grateful for the help from the Maharashtra government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his team, who stayed at the venue right till the end to ensure the venue was evacuated and reviewed the site in detail post the fire was doused," it said 

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident. He said the rest of the programmes, which are part of the Make in India week, will not be affected. “There is no point in speculating the cause now. A comprehensive probe has been ordered. The roles and responsibility of those involved would be fixed,” he said.

He said that a detailed disaster management plan was kept ready and was reviewed four days back. This helped the disaster management team to act swiftly when the fire broke out. Four fire tenders were stationed near the stage.

The fire had broken out during the Maharashtra Night event at south Mumbai's Girgaum Chowpatty, gutting the entire stage on Sunday evening. There were no casualties. The fire started at 8.25 pm and was put out at 9.25 pm. 

It broke out while a Lavani dance performance was under way. Over 100 VIPs and over 25,000 people were seated at the venue. The mega cultural event was part of the Make in India week being held in the city from February 13 to 18.

With agency inputs

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