Remembering SS Fort Stikine : The inferno that killed 1300, destroyed 16 vessels
Agartala, Apr 14, 2022, By Our Correspondent110
On 14th April, 1944-- the British freighter 'SS Fort Stikine' on Victoria dock at Bombay port was razed by a catastrophic fire in which about 800-1300 people including 71 fire fighters had lost their lives.
The ship was parked at the port on April 12 without any safety concerns but on April 14, it caught fire and was exploited due to the storage of 1,400 tons of explosives. The ship was razed by two giant blasts and its debris was dissipated in the surrounding areas. The entire Victoria dock was abolished due to fire and explosion. As many as 16 other vessels and ships were destroyed, 80,000 people were rendered homeless.
This was one of the most devastating fire incidents of the country and the Union Government of India decided in 1952 that every year on April 14 would be observed as National Service Day across India to pay homage to the brave firefighters who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty while fighting the fire.
On Thursday along with other parts of the country, National Fire Service Day was also observed at Tripura Fire Service Headquarters, Agartala with participation of hundreds of fire fighters and officials.
Anindya Kumar Bhattacharya, Additional Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management and Director, Fire and Emergency Services highlighted the importance of observing the National Fire Services Day.
He said, “We are proud of all categories of fire fighters who save lives and properties in the event of fire without caring for their own lives. I salute their bravery.” He also spoke on the steps taken by the State Government to modernize Tripura Fire Services.
Each year, to prevent such fire incidents and raise mass awareness among the civilians and school children, the Fire and Emergency Service department conducts training, mock-drills and rehearsals to ascertain the preparedness to fight fire emergencies. Fire Services Week is observed from 14th to 20th of April in order to educate the general public about the need to minimize losses from fires. This year's theme for the National Fire Service Day is "Learn Fire Safety, Increase Productivity."
Tripura Home (Fire and Emergency Services) department is organizing mock drills from April 14 to April 20 throughout Tripura to spread awareness among the public regarding fire safety.
The state-level programme would be held at Amtali School Ground on April 19 where Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Ram Prasad Paul would take part as the chief guest.
NDRF, SDRF, District Disaster Management authorities, Civil Defence, Apada Mitra volunteers and other state-level experts would conduct mock exercise for the benefit of citizens and to ensure fire safety and saving lives and properties of citizens and efforts of the State Government towards a safer and disaster resilient Tripura.