Update on : Huge fire in ISKCON Kolkata (Albert Road Temple)

Dear ICC members,

Please accept my humble obeisances.All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Yesterday, 26th April 21, Monday at around 6 pm, devotees heard one blast in albert road temple and then they found smoke. It was seen that dress room of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji was on fire. Devotees immediately rushed to doused the fire. They started throwing water but the fire was too big. In short time of 20-25 minutes, local police and fire brigade people came and they doused the fire in no time. But in meantime, all the dresses of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji, Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Jagannath Baldev Subhadradevi got burned. During the time when devotees were putting off fire, they were worried about fire entering deity room, so immediately deities were shifted to safe place away from fire for security. While dousing the fire lot of devotees, police and fire brigade people walked in the deity room with shoes, water came in the deity room and whole thing was filled with smoke. Later police came and sealed the dress room to do forensic investigation to find out the cause of fire.

So considering all that we have now put deities in Srila Prabhupada room and worship is going on. There was no electricity for some time. Since deity kitchen and all deity related area is in mess, we are not cooking for deities in the temple. Currently Bhoga is cooked at ISKCON House, Gurusaday road and sent for deities. Hopefully within 3 to 4 days, everything will be set right and deities will be brought back to altar and cooking resumed in the temple. We are also engaging some experts from fire brigade and electricity department to give us advice to make sure that we organise things in such a way that such things do not happen again.  In the beginning devotees thought that fire took place due to short circuit but there is also possibility that it may have happen due to bursting of compressor of one of the Air conditioner of deity room. The compressor was outside the deity room, near dress room. The fire must have suddenly got big because of compressor getting burst and the gas of compressor getting leaked out. Currently forensic investigation is going on. When we get the final report, we will update you with the report.
We are grateful to all of you for your prayers and support.

Thanking you,

Your servant,

Dayaram Das.