In a shocking incident, a massive fire broke out in a Vishakapatnam fishing harbour in Andhra Pradesh on Monday. In the wee hours of the morning, the fire that erupted on one mechanised boat spread to 39 others, charring 40 boats and leaving a loss of over ₹30 crore.
Fire Breaks Out At Fishing Harbour In Vishakapatnam; 40 Boats Gutted
As per a report by Hindustan Times, over 40 mechanised boats in a fishing harbour in Vishakapatnam caught fire. One of the boats harboured at a jetty caught fire due to the explosion of its diesel engine. Soon, the fire spread to adjacent boats and the entire fishing harbour in Vishakapatnam was engulfed in the blaze. A group of fishermen alerted the police.
K Anand Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Visakhapatnam spoke to Hindustan Times. He revealed that the minute the police came to know about this they rushed to the location with three fire tenders. Another three fire tenders followed to extinguish the blaze. As per K Anand Reddy, the fire was successfully put out. There were no casualties or injuries reported. The police are currently investigating the matter to determine the cause of the massive fire.
Vasupalli Janakiram, the President of the Andhra Pradesh Mechanised Boat Owners’ Association suspects foul play. Teh local fishermen suspect miscreants may have intentionally set fire to the boats. He stated that all fishing boats returned to the harbour on Sunday evening after they had gone to the sea for fishing three days ago. The fire mishap happened even before the fishermen could unload the stock.
No Casualties Or Injuries; Loss Over ₹30 Crore
He estimates the loss to be around ₹5 lakh to ₹6 lakh per boat loaded with fresh fish. The fishermen planned to sell the fresh catch in an auction on Monday. Alas, the boats caught fire early morning on Monday. Janakiram said the fire broke out suddenly and spread to adjacent boats within minutes. The sea breeze heightened the damage. Local fishermen said the loss may amount to around ₹30 crore.
Thankfully, the fishermen left for their homes by night. So, there were no casualties reported. Unfortunately, they lost their livelihood as the fire engulfed their boats, nets, fish and other fishing equipment. Apparently, the boat that caught fire first had a couple of LPG cylinders and a tank full of diesel. This caused a multiplier effect.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government will stand by the fishermen who lost their livelihood. Furthermore, he assured them that the authorities would help them. Nara Lokesh, Telugu Desam Party general secretary said in a statement that the government will offer new mechanised boats to the aggrieved fishermen. Also, they will take necessary steps to ensure such incidents don’t happen again in the future.
While the authorities conduct a thorough investigation on the matter, we hope the fishermen get reimbursed soon for the losses.
Cover Image Courtesy: @K44982949Kumar/ X
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