Cigarette Butt Sparked Vizag Harbour Fire That Destroyed 30 Boats: Police

The accused and his uncle were consuming alcohol on a boat at the harbour and had thrown a cigarette stub onto the nylon fishing net of another boat.

A cigarette butt carelessly discarded on a boat sparked the massive fire in Visakhapatnam jetty, which destroyed over 30 fishing vessels, said police on Saturday.

The incident occurred on November 19 night, when Vasupalli Nani (23) was consuming alcohol with his uncle Allipilli Satyam on a boat at the harbour.

"They consumed liquor together. Later, Nani threw a non-extinguished cigarette stub onto the nylon fishing net of an adjacent boat," said Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner A Ravi Shankar at a Press Conference.