By Online Desk
VISAKHAPATNAM: A fire broke out in a jetty area here in the early hours of Monday gutting at least 30 fishing boats, officials said. The fire was reported at around 1 am where fishing boats were anchored.
There were as many as eight explosions which officials suspect to be that of LPG cylinders.
After receiving information about the blaze, firefighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire after a three-hour battle at around 4 am, Visakhapatnam District Fire Officer S Renukayya told PTI.
“We pressed 12 fire tenders into service and took help from the National Disaster Response Force and the Visakhapatnam Port Trust,” he said.
ADGP Law and Order Ravi Shankar said, “One of the ships caught fire where some boys were there late night probably they were all partying, luckily the other boatsmen came and de-anchored that ship and let it off into the sea.
#WATCH | Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour Fire: ADGP Law and Order Ravi Shankar says, “…One of the ships caught fire where some boys were there late night probably they were all partying, luckily the other boatsmen came and deanchored that ship and let it off into the sea. The… pic.twitter.com/siLEfmzhCC
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2023
He further added that the ship had full tanker diesel and gas cylinders. Hence, the fire had a multiplier effect and it drifted on to other ships that were parked at the jetty.
It took five hours to bring fire under control. Property worth several crores was lost due to fire. Police have registered a case and are further investigating into it.
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: A massive fire broke out in Visakhapatnam fishing harbour. The fire that started with the first boat eventually spread to 40 boats. Several fire tenders reached the spot to control the fire. Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.… pic.twitter.com/1ZYgiWInOz
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2023
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed anguish over the incident and asked officials to conduct a detailed probe into the cause of fire.
The officer said there are no reports of any casualties so far.
Visakhapatnam Deputy Commissioner of Police-Zone II K Ananda Reddy said the intervening night of Sunday and Monday was quite windy, causing the fire to spread quickly among the boats made of fibre (plastic) and anchored closely.
“Many of these boats also carry up to 5,000 litres of diesel as the fishermen venture into the sea for weeks. Many boats were also laden with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders which the fisherfolk use for cooking,” Reddy added.
Considering the critical location of the fire, Reddy said Vizag Steel Plant fire brigade and the Navy were also alerted, while controlling the fire without further spread proved to be a big task.
According to estimates, each boat is valued between Rs 35 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, he said.
Meanwhile, police booked a case of accidental fire, he added.
(With Inputs from PTI, ENS) Follow channel on WhatsApp
VISAKHAPATNAM: A fire broke out in a jetty area here in the early hours of Monday gutting at least 30 fishing boats, officials said. The fire was reported at around 1 am where fishing boats were anchored.
There were as many as eight explosions which officials suspect to be that of LPG cylinders.
After receiving information about the blaze, firefighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire after a three-hour battle at around 4 am, Visakhapatnam District Fire Officer S Renukayya told PTI.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“We pressed 12 fire tenders into service and took help from the National Disaster Response Force and the Visakhapatnam Port Trust,” he said.
ADGP Law and Order Ravi Shankar said, “One of the ships caught fire where some boys were there late night probably they were all partying, luckily the other boatsmen came and de-anchored that ship and let it off into the sea.
#WATCH | Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour Fire: ADGP Law and Order Ravi Shankar says, “…One of the ships caught fire where some boys were there late night probably they were all partying, luckily the other boatsmen came and deanchored that ship and let it off into the sea. The… pic.twitter.com/siLEfmzhCC
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2023
He further added that the ship had full tanker diesel and gas cylinders. Hence, the fire had a multiplier effect and it drifted on to other ships that were parked at the jetty.
It took five hours to bring fire under control. Property worth several crores was lost due to fire. Police have registered a case and are further investigating into it.
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: A massive fire broke out in Visakhapatnam fishing harbour. The fire that started with the first boat eventually spread to 40 boats. Several fire tenders reached the spot to control the fire. Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.… pic.twitter.com/1ZYgiWInOz
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2023
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed anguish over the incident and asked officials to conduct a detailed probe into the cause of fire.
The officer said there are no reports of any casualties so far.
Visakhapatnam Deputy Commissioner of Police-Zone II K Ananda Reddy said the intervening night of Sunday and Monday was quite windy, causing the fire to spread quickly among the boats made of fibre (plastic) and anchored closely.
“Many of these boats also carry up to 5,000 litres of diesel as the fishermen venture into the sea for weeks. Many boats were also laden with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders which the fisherfolk use for cooking,” Reddy added.
Considering the critical location of the fire, Reddy said Vizag Steel Plant fire brigade and the Navy were also alerted, while controlling the fire without further spread proved to be a big task.
According to estimates, each boat is valued between Rs 35 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, he said.
Meanwhile, police booked a case of accidental fire, he added.
(With Inputs from PTI, ENS) Follow channel on WhatsApp
