A series of embarrassing missteps and warnings ignored by state organisers led to a huge stage fire at a cultural programme of ‘Make in India’ week at Girgaum Chowpatty on Sunday night.No one was seriously injured, but the incident singed Maharashtra’s reputation as a state capable of hosting high-profile events, and overshadowed India’s efforts to portray itself as a manufacturing and investment destination. A senior government official said the blaze, which broke out around 820pm, was caused by a leak from gas cylinders that were meant to trigger firecrackers at the end of the cultural event, ‘Maharashtra Rajani’. Some reports said firecrackers caused the blaze, while the stage designer, Nitin Desai, said a short circuit led to the incident. Fire station officer A Bhor, who was posted at the venue on Sunday, told Mirror that assistant divisional fire officer Karl D’Soura had handed a letter to the organisers on Saturday asking them to ensure no firecrackers were burst near the stage. “This was not followed,” Bhor said.He added that though the exact cause of the blaze had not been determined, it “definitely started under the stage”. The Devendra Fadnavis government ignored another serious warning: the Bombay High Court had in 2005 asked authorities not to organise any event at Girgaum Chowpatty that could attract huge crowds. The court’s observation was based on concerns raised by a citizens’ committee about the traffic congestion on the adjoining road, which sees frequent movement of VIP vehicles, and about the potential hurdles in evacuating people in the event of an untoward incident. The state did not take the concerns seriously and moved the Supreme Court to obtain permission for organising the ‘Make in India’ event at the seafront.On Sunday, guests first noticed smoke plumes at the stage front while a lavani performance was concluding. At first, the dancers did not notice it — they thought it was the fog machines — but quickly after, around 8.20 pm, flames leapt out and devoured the podium. Panicked organisers rushed to evacuate hundreds of guests, including VIPs such as Fadnavis, Governor Ch Vidysagar Rao, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and actor Aamir Khan. Actor Amitabh Bachchan had performed just minutes before the fire broke out.Four fire tenders, stationed at Chowpatty as part of the safety procedure, were pressed into action. Exit emergency routes were shouted at the audiences. Twenty minutes later, there was a blast, and organisers had to push out the guests — delegates, investors, actors and politicians — farther afield. A huge crowed had bunched up right outside the venue, so evacuation proved difficult. As many as 450 dancers and horses that were part of the event were also evacuated. Witnesses and performers gave competing versions of how the fire started. One witness said a spark from the special-effects fire machines raced across the stage diagonally. Others claimed an oil lamp set off the stage lights. Authorities plunged into hectic activity, with the fire department shutting off the roads to Chowpatty and the traffic police diverting all vehicles to J Mehta Road.Chief fire officer P Rahangdale asked joint commissioner (law and order) Deven Bharati to keep the roads clear for fire engines to speed through. The chief minister stayed put at the scene till the last of the flames were subdued an hour later. The incident was extremely unfortunate, Fadnavis said, but there were no casualties because all SOPs were adhered to. An inquiry will be conducted, he said. As did his principal secretary Praveen Pardeshi, chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya, principal secretary (home) Vijay Satbir Singh, ministers Subhash Desai, Deepak Kesarkar, Eknath Shinde and Pravin Patil. As did police commissioner D D Padsalgikar and his top officers.About an hour later, around 9.15 pm, as the charred skeleton of the stage was slumping to the ground, a tweet from Fadnavis said: “Fourteen fire engines, ten water tankers, and all senior fire officers are on site. Fire now totally under control.Programme called off. No casualties reported, no one is injured.”When the blaze had been killed, Fadnavis got a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Nitin Desai, the stage creator, said, “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.”Additional chief secretary (home) KP Bakshi told Mirror that gas leakage from pressure cylinders meant to light up fire crackers later, sparked the blaze.Around 9.30 pm, the cool-down started. As jets of water splashed expensive equipment like stereos, speakers and lights were damaged.Rahangdale said, “I will be submitting the investigation report to my superiors in two days. I was there when the fire started. We used fire extinguishers to douse the flames till the back-up arrived.”The CM said all Make in India programmes, including those at Bandra Fort and Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya, will continue as per schedule, and more safety precautions will be taken.– WITH INPUTS FROM ADITYA ANAND