At least 25 mechanised fishing boats reduce to ashes in major fire at Vizag Fishing Harbour

At least 25 mechanized fishing boats were gutted in a massive fire at the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, which is next to Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), under Visakhapatnam South Assembly constituency, on Monday early in the morning.

At least 25 mechanized fishing boats were gutted in a massive fire at the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, which is next to Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), under Visakhapatnam South Assembly constituency, on Monday early in the morning.

There was no loss of life in the incident but there was a property loss of around ₹15 crores as each boat costs around ₹40 lakhs. Some boats burst into flames due to fuel tanks and LPG cylinders causing panic in the area.

“At least 25 fishing boats could have been gutted due to the fire,” Anand Reddy, DCP, Visakhapatnam City Police told media persons at the spot around 1 am.

Speaking to The Hindu, Visakhapatnam Regional Fire Officer Niranjan Reddy said that they received an emergency call about the incident around 12.30 A.M. on Monday and the fire was brought under control at 4.30 a.m. A total of 14 fire engines were rushed to the scene to douse the fire.

The services of eight fire engines from AP Fire Department, Visakhapatnam Port (3), Vizag Steel Plant (1), HPCL Visakh Refinery (1) and Coromandel (1) were used to control the fire, he added. This apart, a fire tug of the Eastern Naval Command has also been attached to effectively control the major fire, Mr. Reddy said.

Mr. Reddy added that the cause of the fire is still unknown and is under investigation by the police. But sources in the police said that there was liquor party being hosted on one of the boats and there was a ruckus between two groups on the boat, which could have led to the fire, as alcohol spilled on the boat. This angle is being investigated and the police is trying to identify the people.

The fishermen suspect that some criminals could have set fire to the boat in the midnight.