Dozens of guests were seen scrambling as a huge fire ripped through a wedding ceremony in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, on April 29.

The blaze erupted at Hotel Vijan Mahal after a short circuit occurred near a petrol pump.

More than 100 people were present when the fire started, triggering a mass panic at the event.

Firefighters managed to control and extinguish the flames within two hours.

According to reports, the damage caused was worth thousands of pounds.

A massive fire that broke out at Hotel Vijan Mahal in Tilhari late at night wedding reception Jabalpur on April 29,Monday caused chaos and panic among the hotel guests.

People started running in all directions after leaving the hotel. The hotel management immediately informed the fire department and within a short span of time, six fire tenders reached the hotel and gained control over the devastating fire. However, by then, significant damage worth lakhs of rupees had already occurred. It is learnt that the fire occurred due to a short circuit nearly at 12.30 am. Interestingly, there was a petrol pump located near the scene where the fire broke out. If the fire had reached the petrol pump, it could have resulted in a major catastrophe.

According to the information received, a wedding ceremony was taking place at the Hotel. There were more than a hundred people present at the venue when suddenly a spark ignited near the stage, causing the decoration material like curtains etc., to catch fire. By the time anyone could understand what was happening, the fire had already intensified. The fire rapidly spread in a big area. Women and children started fleeing from the hotel. As the fire continued to intensify, the hotel management attempted to extinguish it using the available fire extinguishing equipment, but it spread too quickly.

As soon as news of the incident spread, the police from Gora Bazaar police station also reached the spot.

Superintendent of fire department, Kushagra Thakur informed that after getting the information the fire department of the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation pressed four fire tenders and two water tankers into action. Within few minutes the vehicles reached at the site and began efforts to extinguish the fire. After nearly two hours of hard toil, the fire was finally brought under control. Eyewitnesses claimed that the fire was spreading at such a rapid pace that if it had not been extinguished in time, it would have undoubtedly engulfed the entire hotel. In addition to the hotel, there is a petrol pump located a few steps away from the area where the fire broke out. If the fire had reached the petrol pump, it could have resulted in a major disaster.