PORVORIM
Five fibreglass boats kept ashore at Nerul beach for repairs were gutted in a fire on Friday night, causing a loss of about Rs 30 lakh.
The Pilerne Fire Station received a call from Nerul beach at about 8 pm stating that fibreglass boats kept ashore had caught fire.
Pilerne Fire station Incharge Sunny Phayde along with a team of firefighters rushed to spot with a fire tender. On reaching the site, they realised that they would not be able to douse the fire with one fire tender and sought a fire tender from the Porvorim fire station.
While the firefighters initially assumed that the boats were meant for fishing, they later realised that two were fishing boats and three boats were meant for dolphin rides and joyrides.
Three fibreglass boats were upside down and rubber tyres under the boats made it difficult for the firefighters to bring the fire under control. They requested the boat association to provide them with a JCB.
The JCB arrived at around 12.30 am and the firefighters managed to extinguish the fire by 1.30 am, saving another fibre boat and nearby shops from getting damaged in the fire.
While the exact cause of the fire is unclear, the loss is estimated at Rs 30 lakh, said fire officials.
