Two fishing boats gutted in fire on Ashtamudi Lake

Two fishing boats were gutted in a major fire that broke out on Ashtamudi Lake on Friday afternoon. Two fishermen sustained minor burns in the incident while the loss incurred is estimated to be around ₹1 crore. The fire started while migrant workers were cooking on board one of the boats at the Palisakkadavu area near Kavanad. The workers, Raju and Ashok from Andhra Pradesh, sustained burns in the incident. Since they and the other workers immediately jumped off the boat a major disaster was averted.

However, as the fire seemed to spread to adjacent boats, the ropes tying the two burning boats were untied and they were allowed to drift away. Yet, fire spread to the nets of a third boat nearby named ‘Divine Mercy’, but the workers managed to extinguish it.

The untied boats drifted away and settled near St. George Thuruthu on the opposite bank of the backwater. Upon receiving the information, Shaktikulangara police and the Chamakkada Fire and Rescue teams arrived at the location. Additionally, units from Fire and Rescue stations in Kadappakkada, Chavara, Paravur, and Shasthamkotta were also deployed. Since the units were unable to reach the boats caught near the island, attempts to douse the fire from other boats were also made. Subsequently, efforts were initiated to extinguish the fire by setting up pipes on Fisheries department boats. It took several hours to fully extinguish the fire by the evening.