Fire breaks out at Paradip fishing harbour in Odisha, 17 boats gutted

Paradip: A fire broke out at the Nehru Bangla Fishing Harbour in Odisha’s Paradip on Thursday, police said.

Though there were no reports of any fatality so far, 12 large boats and over five engine-powered indigenous boats were completely gutted in the blaze, the cause of which was yet to be ascertained, they said.

At least 10 fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the flames, a police officer said.

The fire broke out around 5 pm in a boat at jetty number 1 and quickly spread to nearby vessels.

With around 650 large boats and 400 indigenous ones stationed at the harbour, the blaze poses a grave threat, the officer said.

“The situation became worse as cooking gas cylinders and diesel tanks onboard exploded. Each boat carried over 3,000 litres of diesel, along with fishing equipment, making it a highly combustible environment,” a fire department official said.