The entire set in Film City apparently was engulfed in fire in no time and sources say the preliminary losses amount to a whopping Rs 3 crore. No casualties were however reported till the time of going to press.
Insiders say members of the show's crew were present inside the set as the fire broke out. A shoot schedule had been arranged for 2 pm the same day for which preparations were on.
Kapil is the host and the producer of the programme that is a huge hit with the audiences and filmmakers alike, with new releases vying for a spot on the show to promote their films. Shah Rukh Khan went on the show twice to promote his Chennai Express.
A watchman at the scene, on conditions of anonymity, says, `I had come out for some work when someone yelled that a fire had broken out in one of the corners on the set. By the time I could return, the flames had spread. `
Two fire engines along with a couple of jumbo tankers were rushed to the spot as soon as the control room received a distress call. An ambulance too was kept in stand-by in case of any emergency.
Sources say when Kapil heard of the incident, he immediately rushed to the spot.
`We received a call at 8. 12 am after which we reached the spot within 10 minutes. The fire had gutted the entire set. It took us an hour to douse the major part of the fire. However, the cooling process is still in process and will take time, ` Abhay Sawant, a fire department official.
The exact cause behind the fire is yet to be ascertained and investigations are still on. A source says, `The set has been completely destroyed and needs to be replaced by a new one. Shooting will resume soon. ` The official spokesperson from the Colors channel says, `It is unfortunate that such an incident has occurred on the sets.
There have been no casualties and we are currently in the process of accessing the extent of the damage. Meanwhile, we are focusing all our efforts to resume shooting for the show so that we have no disruption and don't disappoint our loyal viewers. `
