PARADIP: In a major fire mishap, three trawlers and five boats were gutted at the fishing harbour at Nehru Bangla in Paradip on Thursday evening. However, no casualties or injuries have been reported so far.
The fire reportedly broke out on one of the trawlers and quickly spread to nearby boats. The incident caused widespread panic among fishermen, who scrambled to save their lives with the help of other boats and trawlers.
It is suspected that the fire started from a trawler named ‘Laxmi Krupa’ when the fishermen were cooking. The blaze spread rapidly as the trawlers were storing large quantities of diesel.
Sources said nearly 300 to 400 trawlers were anchored at Paradip fishing harbour when the mishap took place. While some of these trawlers were preparing to set sail for fishing, others had returned to unload their catch. Additionally, around 40 to 50 boats were also docked at the harbour.
A fisherman Santosh Behera said, “The fire erupted on one of the boats harboured at the jetty, possibly due to an explosion in its diesel engine or a battery short circuit. Soon, the fire spread to adjacent boats, engulfing six trawlers and seven boats in flames. Many fishermen jumped into water to save their lives.”
On being informed, police and fire services personnel rushed to the spot to control the blaze. Paradip ADM Niranjan Behera and additional SP Smruti Ranjan Kar also reached the mishap site to take stock of the situation.
Jagatsinghpur SP Bhabani Shankar Udgata said 12 fighting fire teams managed to bring the blaze under control in an operation that lasted around four hours. No casualties or injuries have been reported in the incident so far. The exact cause of the fire mishap is yet to be ascertained.
Secretary of Odisha Marine Fish Producers’ Association Aurobinda Swain said the cost of each trawler ranges from Rs 70 lakh to 1 crore, depending on its size and capacity. The extent of damage caused by the fire mishap is being assessed.