Puri: A fire broke out near Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town, triggering panic among devotees and local residents.
As per sources, the fire erupted in Bada Danda area close to the 12th century shrine late on Sunday night. No one was reported to have been injured in the mishap.
The mishap took place when rituals were underway in the temple and when devotees were moving in queues for darshan of the sibling deities.
Locals said an electrical transformer caught fire and the area remained engulfed in flames for over an hour before the blazewas brought under control.
After getting information, a team of fire service personnel rushed to the spot and managed to douse the flames and prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby structures.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and officials have launched thorough investigation into the incident, which raised concerns over safety measures in and around the temple area.
Preliminary investigation indicated that some unidentified youth were suspected to have thrown lit cigarette or bidi near the transformer, leading to the fire. Further probe is in progress.
