Massive fire erupts at a scrapyard in Duvvada, Visakhapatnam

On Sunday afternoon, the skies of Duvvada, under Visakhapatnam city limits, took a darkish hue as a massive fire rose in a scrapyard. This scrapyard falls within the Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and is on the outskirts of the city of Visakhapatnam.

So far, there haven’t been any casualties or injuries, as reported. A number of fire tenders rushed to the accident spot and managed to bring the fire under control.

After the fire broke out, huge clouds of soot engulfed the scene, and the nearby areas in Visakhapatnam. This caused a minor frenzy among the people living near to the scrapyard. The smoke clouds, around the fire, also made it difficult for the firefighters to douse the blaze.

The management of the scrapyard later identified an electrical short circuit at one of the scrap material areas, as the source of the fire breakout. Apparently, a number of old, and damaged, transformers were lying in that area.

A committee, constituted of senior officers, will investigate the accident and account for damages caused by the fire. Later on, they will submit a report to the district administration.

It may be recalled that this is the fourth major fire-related incident in Vizag. It is also the third industrial accident since the Styrene Vapor leak, last year. In August 2020, in light of the VIzag gas leak accident, Andhra Pradesh State Government had formed a committee. Their objective was to inspect the safety provisions at all the industries in Visakhapatnam District and avert future industrial accidents.