Visakhapatnam: Fire at harbor destroys 35 boats, Navy called in
A devastating fire erupted at a fishing harbor in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, gutting around 35 fishing boats on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. The fire was brought under control in the wee hours of Monday with the help of multiple fire tenders and an Indian Navy vessel. No casualty was reported in the fire accident. However, the loss is estimated to be over Rs. 5 crore as each boat costs around Rs. 15-20 lakh.
How the fire started
Some fisherfolk alleged foul play, while some reports said the fire initially caught a motorized boat late on Sunday evening where some boys were allegedly partying. Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Ravi Shankar said soon after the blaze erupted, some fishers cut off the boat to prevent the fire from spreading. However, it had full tank fuel and gas cylinders, which resulted in an explosion. The blast sent the boat drifting back to the jetty and ignited other boats.
Videos show the extent of the blaze
12 fire tenders struggled to contain blaze
Visakhapatnam Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anand Reddy said the fire began around 11:30pm on Sunday. Fire engines had difficulty dousing the fire, following which an Indian Navy vessel was also called in for support. Visakhapatnam District Fire Officer S Renukayya said, "We pressed 12 fire tenders into service and sought the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Visakhapatnam Port Trust." The fire was extinguished by around 4:00am.
Multidisciplinary teams to be formed for investigation
Firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other nearby boats within half an hour, but it took almost two hours to put out the blaze fully, per Renukayya. Reddy said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed. A case of accidental fire has been filed, and an investigation is underway. The fishing harbor reportedly belongs to the Visakhapatnam Port Trust, and a multidisciplinary team will be formed to probe the incident.
