PANAJI
A field fire that raged uncontrollably for over five hours on Monday afternoon triggered panic across the densely populated Taleigao and Caranzalem, as around 30 residents including infants and a 95-year-old woman had to be urgently rescued by fire personnel.
The blaze, which reportedly started from crop residue burning near Tonca, spread rapidly towards Taleigao because of strong winds and the scorching summer heat. Four fire tenders, a turn-table ladder, over a dozen firefighters, ambulances and local volunteers were pressed into service to bring the situation under control.
As per witnesses, fire gutted vast stretches of dry grassland and also charred reptiles -- snakes and tortoises -- that couldn’t escape the flames.
The plumes of thick smoke soon engulfed residential buildings, prompting fire and police personnel to ask people to vacate as a precautionary measure against respiratory risks. Fire personnel also helped evacuate people to safety.
Director of Fire and Emergency Services Nitin Raiker, quoting the locals and his personnel, confirmed that reptiles were killed in the fire. He also raised concern over the vulnerability of such residential zones located adjacent to agricultural land.
“While we managed to control the fire, the challenge remains as residential areas are close to these fields. The police will now investigate the cause,” he said. The farmers have also suffered crop loss.
The fire personnel took about five hours to contain the blaze that started after 12:30 pm. However, the fire re-ignited even as the fire personnel, deployed on stand-by, were back to the site for fire fighting.
Senior fire officer Ranjit Redkar added that charred reptiles were found amidst the ashes. “The fire’s intensity and the proximity of homes made it an extremely dangerous situation,” he said.
Former Goa Pollution Control Board chief Mahesh Patil, a resident of the affected zone, expressed alarm over the frequent recurrence of such fires. “It indicated that someone lit the grass. This carelessness is dangerous. People will suffer breathing issues because of this toxic smoke,” he warned.
Locals have been crying foul over the authorities’ apathy. Activist Cecille Rodrigues, who resides near the affected fields, criticized the Taleigao panchayat’s inaction. “For months, we have been asking the VP to deploy a tractor during harvest season to clear the stubble without burning it. The farmers can cover the fuel cost only... But the VP has done nothing,” she said, speaking to The Goan.
Rodrigues, who was among those assisting the firefighters, described the scene as ‘horrific’. “The heat was unbearable. Firemen were in the thick of it. And not a single panch from the VP came to see the situation,” she added.
The Agriculture Department had, as recently as November, issued a circular warning farmers against burning crop residue, citing serious environmental damage and soil degradation.
The department stated that open stubble burning not only deteriorates air quality but also robs the soil of nutrients, turning fertile land into barren patches over time.
