Vizag: Over 35 boats gutted in massive fire at fishing harbor; loss estimated in crores

Visakhapatnam: At least 35 mechanized boats anchored at Vizag fishing harbor were gutted in a major fire on Sunday night in Visakhapatnam city, Andhra Pradesh.

The fire that started from one boat soon spread to other boats that were anchored nearby. As the fire spread and engulfed the boats, the fishermen at the locality panicked and rushed out of the locality to save their lives.

The fire mishap created a panic as the LPG cylinders in the boats exploded with a huge sound. The fishermen preserve rice, oil, LPG cylinders, and a few others in the boats for sailing in the sea for fishing.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K Anand Reddy and his team visited the spot. He said that several boats were gutted in the fire mishap. A total of four fire tenders were pressed into service to bring the fire under control. So far, there is no report of loss of life, he added.

The fishermen said that the fire has led to damage to around 40 fishing boats, each boat costing at least Rs 50 lakh. Probably it is the major fire-mishap in Vizag fishing harbour so far as they never witnessed such accidents.

The boat was getting ready for a voyage into the sea and there were five crew members in the boat. Some were preparing food by using a domestic gas cylinder while others were getting ready to fill diesel in the fuel tank. An electric short circuit might have caused the fire as the boat operators used wires to fix the generators and other gadgets without following safety norms.

However, the cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet. The police suspect that the possible short circuit in the engine part of the boat could be the reason for the major mishap.