MARGAO
A major fire completely gutted a structure which was stacked with décor material, at Varca on Sunday noon, destroying property worth lakhs of rupees.
Though the exact loss of property is not known, it is believed that the losses run into lakhs of rupees as the décor material, belonging to the popular owner Tennyson Rosa, was reduced to ashes in the fire.
The cause of the fire also remains unknown. Fire Brigade officials say the exact loss of property would be known only after the owner Tennyson submits the details.
Tennyson, when contacted by ‘The Goan’ said he cannot give the exact loss of property. He said he does not know the status of the premises after it engulfed by fire. He, however, said the loss may run into lakhs of rupees given the nature of décor stacked in the premises.
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao said the loss of property could cross Rs 1.5 crore given that Tennyson is number in the field of décor business, having a wide range of décor ideas for different occasions.
The incident occurred around Sunday noon when smoke was found billowing from the huge premises. The Margao fire brigade claimed it had received a message of the fire incident at around 12.27 pm and the first tender reached the venue at around 12.40 pm.
Fire Officer Shailesh Gawde informed that given that the entire premise was engulfed by the raging fire, the fire tenders from fire stations at Verna, Curchorem and Ponda were requisitioned by the Margao fire brigade to assist in the fire fighting operations.
Leading firemen Sanjay Desai said no sooner the Margao fire station had received the information a vehicle immediately left the station to Varca. Another fire brigade was called before the fire stations at Ponda, Verna and Curchorem were called to assist in the operations.
Churchill, however, pointed out that when he visited the Margao fire brigade when the fire was raging at the premises, he found a tender parked at the station. Officials, however, said that while two tenders had already left for Varca, only one tender was parked at the station.
Fire officer Gawde informed that eight tankers were used in the six-hour long fire-fighting operation, adding that the operation had finally ended around 5.30 pm.
