Kochi: Fire broke out at two spots of Willingdon Island in separate incidents on Thursday, triggering panic among the public. In the first incident, dry grass at a vast plot near Alexander Parampithara Bridge caught fire, while the other incident was reported from a wharf on the Cochin Port. No one was injured in the incident.

The grassland caught fire by 1 pm, and fire units from different stations were trying to douse the flames by late evening. Fire spread across tall grass grown on the 28-acre plot, making it tough for the firefighters to contain the blaze. It is suspected that someone set fire to the garbage dumped on the site. A similar incident was reported from the area a few months ago.

In the other incident, a conveyor belt used to unload sulphur from ships to the port caught fire around 5.30 pm. The fire was extinguished by the firefighters in the Port as well as those from Harbour station, according to preliminary information received. The facility is owned by Fertilisers And Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT). 

As per an official statement by FACT, the fire affected three conveyors and conveyor transfer towers. Fire and Rescue Service personnel, along with teams from Cochin Shipyard, Cochin Port, FACT, and the Navy, extinguished the blaze by 7.45 pm.

Initial reports said the fire broke out in a facility of the Cochin Shipyard. The shipyard authorities quickly confirmed that the incident had nothing to do with the entity. Willingdon Island, a key part of Kochi, is the largest artificial island in the country.