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The exact cause of the fire that broke out at the Maharashtra Evening as part of Make In India Week at Girgaum Chowpatty, Mumbai is not yet known. There is a possibility that it started because of the sparklers that were lit during a dance performance on stage.
But what is known is the following:
The fire started in the front, bottom portion of the stage during a marathi cultural dance performance that followed shortly after Amitabh Bachchan's poetry recital. Aamir Khan was line-up to be present of stage after this performance.
All dancers and artists and crew and on-ground personell were evacuated or lead to safe-zones as soon as the fire started.
All dignitaries, celebrities and civilians in the audience were also evacated safely and in an orderly manner. Many took to social media to express the positive management of the emergency evacuation, with some talking about clear zones being colour cooridnated and large exits being clearly pointed out. It was claimed that the 'in case of emergency' announcement at the start of the event was also very useful.
Fire brigades and fire fire fighters were present within minutes of the fire going off and managed to douse the firs within an hour of when it set off.
First Tweets from Sabbas Joseph, Director - Wizcraft
Here's the official statement releases by Wizcraft International:
An unfortunate fire broke out in the middle of a performance at the Chowpatty Cultural event. As soon as the fire broke out, all audience, all performers, their entourage and technical crew were evacuated to safe zones inside and outside the venue. Simultaneously, the fire brigade and Mumbai Police swept into action within a minute and began to put the fire out using fire engines and fire tenders that were on standby.
The organisers, Wizcraft teams, Mumbai Police and the disaster management team of mumbai worked together to ensure the safety of all the people at the venue. The detailed planning, both with regard to smooth execution of the event and disaster management in case of an unfortunate incident, ensured that there were no casualties and no injuries.
Prior to the event all safety checks and audits were done during rehearsals and prior to the show. All fire and safety norms prescribed have been followed.
We are grateful for the help from the Maharashtra Government and the Hon. Chief Minister Shri 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.
The Maharashtra Evening as part of the Make In India Week was being managed by Wizcraft. Close to 7000 people are said to have been evacuated as soon as the fire broke out on stage.