An old transformer in the premises of the 114-year-old Bharat Natya Mandir in Sadashiv Peth caught fire at 9.45 pm yesterday. However, officials and theatre enthusiasts managed to keep the fire under control by pouring sand on it until the fire brigade arrived. No injuries were reported.

"We saw smoke coming out of the transformer cabin. We went in to inspect and realised that a fire had broken out," said Pravin Tarde, an official at Bharat Natya Mandir. Fire brigade personnel reached the spot in less than ten minutes and doused the fire before it could spread.

"The young theatre enthusiasts helped in putting out the fire by pouring sand on the transformer," said Hemant Vaidya, an eyewitness. "Fortunately, there was no power outage even after the fire."

MSEDCL lineman K P Surve said the fire broke out due to an earthing leakage. "It is good that the fire was kept under control. It could have spread. We will fix the fault soon."