Fire accident at fishing harbour: Visakhapatnam lucky to escape major disaster

A major disaster averted in Visakhapatnam fishing harbour. Had the fire, which reduced 45 fishing boats to ashes, spread to the fuel and pumping stations of oil majors nearby, the impact could have been severe and felt up to a few square kilometres, says police officer.

A major disaster was averted in the Port City when 45 fishing boats were gutted at the fishing harbour late in the night on November 19 (Sunday).

The fire could be seen from a few nautical miles in the sea, and from the Simhachalam area in the city, which was located about 25-km from the fishing harbour.

The mechanised boats, which were moored alongside the jetty, had caught fire in quick succession, and the diesel tanks and LPG cylinders in each of these boats exploded within minutes due to excessive heat.

Luckily, the fire did not spread to the petrol and diesel station belonging to one of the oil majors and the pipelines of a fuel storage and pumping station of another oil major, which were located adjacent to the accident site.

“While dousing the fire was one of our immediate tasks, the imminent danger it posed made the task all the more challenging. Had the fire, or the excessive heat it generated, reached the fuel stations or the pipelines, the city would have witnessed a major disaster, as its impact could have been felt up to a few square kilometres,” said DCP Anand Reddy.

The accident had taken place at around 11.30 p.m. on November 19, and Mr. Reddy had moved in with his team in a few minutes.

“My experience in the Fire Services Department in the initial days helped me. I kept at least one fire tender active to cool the fuel station and the pipelines,” Mr. Reddy said.