A massive fire broke out at Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam fishing harbour and gutted around 35 fishing boats on Sunday night. Deputy Commissioner of Police Anand Reddy said the fire first broke out on a boat and then spread to nearly 35 fibre-mechanised boats at midnight. No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident, he said.
“Police and fire teams responded immediately. The fire was brought under control. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. A case has been filed and an investigation is underway,” Reddy said. Visuals surfaced online showed firefighters trying to douse the blaze as helpless fishermen looked at the harbour.
The fire broke out around 1am and was doused by 4am, officials told news agency PTI. The fire broke out in a town jetty area where fishing boats were anchored. After receiving information about the blaze, firefighters rushed to the spot, Visakhapatnam district fire officer S Renukayya told the agency. “We pressed 12 fire tenders into service and took help from the National Disaster Response Force and the Visakhapatnam Port Trust,” he said. The officer said there are no reports of any casualties so far. Local fishermen, however, suspect foul play, alleging that unknown individuals may have intentionally set the boats on fire, news agency ANI reported.