Prayagraj, Jan 20: Faith and devotion took centre stage at Maha Kumbh, as more than 4.4 million devotees took a holy dip on the eighth day of the Kumbh Mela till 2 pm on Monday.

As of January 20, more than 80 million pilgrims have taken a dip at the Sangam Triveni during the Maha Kumbh 2025.

Furthermore, more than one million Kalpvasis have embraced the spiritual retreat during the Maha Kumbh.

Earlier in the day, more than 2.2 million pilgrims visited the Mela on Monday morning as of 8 am, according to official data released.

Meanwhile, Director General (DG) of Fire, Avinash Chandra addressed the ongoing investigation into the Maha Kumbh fire incident that occurred on Sunday.

He further stated that the police have the authority to investigate, and local authorities are handling the case and also noted that while rumours are circulating, the exact cause would be determined after a thorough investigation.

"The police have the right to investigate this incident. Local police authorities are at it. There are many rumours but the exact reason will be revealed after the investigation," he said.

Regarding fire safety arrangements, Chandra highlighted the extensive preparations in place at the Kumbh.

"In the entire Kumbh area, fire safety has been taken with great sincerity. 53 fire stations and 20 fire posts have been built and more than 1300 firemen have been deployed. More than 300 vehicles have been deployed. We will strengthen it even further. The magnitude is so big that there are nine fire stations in the entire Prayagraj district, and there are 53 fire stations and 20+ fire posts in Mahakumbh alone. The manpower in Prayagraj is 175 and 1300+ manpower in Mahkumbh. In a big district like Lucknow, there are 11 fire stations and around 200 personnel. Here, there is a manpower of 1400. The area of one fire station is around 800 square meters, which means that it will take less than three to four minutes for the fire vehicle of one fire station to reach the spot," he added.

Chandra reassured that the response time for fire emergencies is three minutes, with vehicles reaching the spot in under three to four minutes.

"Our response time is around three minutes. All the devotees who want to come here should come without any worry; we will provide them with infallible fire and police arrangements," he added.

On Sunday, a fire broke out in Mahakumbh due to an explosion of three cooking gas cylinders. There have been no casualties in the mishap. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site of the fire and spoke to officials and firefighting teams on the spot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and took cognisance of the incident.

The Maha Kumbh began on January 13 and will continue until February 26.

(ANI)

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