Andhra Pradesh: Nearly 40 boats gutted in fire at Visakhapatnam fishing harbour

A massive fire broke out a fishing harbour in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam where nearly 40 boats were gutted and two fishermen injured.

Multiple fire tenders reached the spot and have now been contained the fire, officials said. And as per preliminary information, a gas leakage triggered might have triggered the blaze.

The fire first started with one boat and eventually spread to the rest of the boats at the harbour.

Suspecting foul play, local fishermen reportedly alleged that some unknown individuals might have set the boats on fire intentionally.

The fire broke out on a boat at the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour and then spread to nearly 35 fibre-mechanised boats at midnight, Anand Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Visakhapatnam), was quoted as saying by ANI. Reddy said that a case has been filed and further investigation is underway.

Ravi Shankar, ADGP Law and Order said that when one of the ships caught fire late at night, some boys were there, probably partying but luckily other boatsmen reached the spot and “deanchored the ship and let it off into the sea”.

“The ship had full tanker diesel and gas cylinders so the fire had a multiplier effect and it drifted on to the other ships which were parked at the jetty…” Shankar added.

The ADGP told ANI that Navy ship Sahara also came and helped them because of which the fire could be brought under control.

Five days ago, a total of 16 vehicles, including three cars were gutted after a fire broke out in a parking area of a residential complex in the early hours of Wednesday in Maharashtra’s Thane.

Officials said that the incident took place at the housing society in the city’s Panchpakhadi shortly after midnight. However, no one was injured, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of Thane civic body’s Disaster Management Cell.

Tadvi said that the fire damaged 13 two-wheelers, charring 11 of them and three four-wheelers, adding that the Naupada police are probing the matter.

A week ago, on November 13, four shops were gutted after a broke out at a shopping complex in Thane’s Bhiwandi town, a civic official said.

No person was injured in the incident which took place at around midnight on Monday, Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation’s Commissioner Ajay Vaidya told PTI.

The fire which broke out at one of the shops located in a complex at the Teen Batti area, spread to the other shops nearby. Officials said that four shops, including one selling school bags and another of clothes, were completely destroyed.

(Inputs from agencies)