Fire breaks out at Mata Tekri in Dewas

Indore: Panic gripped devotees at Mata Tekri in Dewas on Friday afternoon after a massive fire broke out on the hill and spread rapidly due to strong winds and dry vegetation, reaching close to the upper side of Badi Mata temple complex.Dewas SP Puneet Gehlod said that flames were first spotted in Damdama area on the upper stretch of the hill. “Within minutes, the fire spread towards parikrama route as gusty winds pushed the flames across the dry grass covering the hillside. The blaze also caused partial damage to solar panels installed near the upper section of the temple,” he said.As smoke engulfed parts of the hill, devotees present at the temple rushed towards safer locations, triggering brief chaos on the premises. Authorities immediately restricted movement towards the top section of the hill and by evening, entry of devotees towards the upper area remained suspended while rescue and cooling operations continued.Police personnel, municipal corporation teams, temple staff and local residents jointly carried out the initial firefighting operation before fire tenders reached the spot. The difficult terrain and lack of direct pipeline access in several stretches created major hurdles during the rescue effort. In the initial phase, locals climbed the hill carrying water in cans and containers on motorcycles to help control the flames.Officials said that the situation became more challenging after electricity disruption affected water supply through pipelines. Residents and volunteers then formed a human chain and passed containers filled with water hand-to-hand in an attempt to prevent the fire from advancing further towards the temple structures. Despite repeated flare-ups caused by strong winds, teams continued the operation for nearly three hours before bringing the fire under control.Senior officials, including additional SP Jaiveer Singh Bhadoriya and tehsildar Sapna Sharma monitored the firefighting operation. No casualties were reported in the incident.