 "Fire, fire accident, Fishing harbour fire")
The gargantuan fire at a Visakhapatnam harbour last night, which turned 25-odd boats to ash, could have been triggered because of animosity against a young YouTuber who shot to fame by sharing fishing videos, according to a report by NDTV. Authorities are now questioning the youngster to get to the bottom of the massive fire.
Sources told NDTV that the YouTuber was involved in a tiff with some people over money. Sources have added that his rivals could have set fire to one of his boats anchored at the harbour.
Fire engines did not manage to quell the fire. Finally, an Indian Navy vessel had to be brought in to bring the fire under control as multiple fire engines struggled to douse the flames.
Blasts in some of the boats created panic in the area. Visuals from the harbour showed fishermen staring helplessly at the fire as firefighters tried to control the flames.
The entire estimated loss in the incident was in the Rs 4-5 crore range. Vishakhapatnam Police Commissioner Ravi Shankar stated the fishermen and local residents cut off the burning boat and sent it adrift to make sure that the fire did not spread to the others, but the winds and water brought it back to the jetty. As a result, the other boats burnt, too.
He added that a thorough investigation will be performed to find the culprits. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) criticised the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government over the incident. TDP leader Nara Lokesh took a jab at the state government for failing to implement crucial security measures.
