MAPUSA
Two beach shacks were completely gutted after fire broke out in one of the shacks and quickly engulfed the neighbouring one on Calangute beach in the wee hours of Tuesday, causing a loss of at least Rs 70 lakhs.
So intense was the blaze that within minutes both the shacks and the goods within were reduced to ashes. A third shack nearby was, however, lucky and escaped the lurking flames.
Since the shacks are of wooden structure and had thatched roofs, the flames spread rapidly and engulfed everything.
The fire broke out at around 2.30 am when most people were asleep. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. A fire tender from Pilerne fire station was first to reach the site. A fire tender each, from the headquarters, Panaji and Mapusa fire station was also rushed to the spot as reinforcement.
It took over three hours for firemen to douse the flames.
While the cause of fire was yet to be established, preliminary investigations suggest that a short circuit could be the imminent cause of fire.
Apart from furniture made up of wooden tables and cane chairs, there were freezers, mixers, generators, sound system besides food and beverage items which were all destroyed in the fire.
The owners of the two shacks “ ‘Baywatch’ and ‘Café Sand Bar’ “ which were completely gutted in the fire, were devastated at the losses they suffered on account of the fire incident.
“We are unable to say how the fire started. Within 10 minutes the entire shack was reduced to ashes. Nobody could do anything. There was so much fire that we could do nothing,” moaned Benedict Rodrigues, owner of Baywatch.
The owner of Café Sand Bar, Manoj Naik informed that at around 2.30 am he received a call from one of his workers that a shack was on fire.
“By the time I reached the spot the fire had spread to my shack too. It happened so very quickly that we had no time to salvage anything,” Naik said.
He said there were 10 freezers and around 150 chairs and tables in his shack which were all burnt.
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira along with panchayat members visited the beach to take stock of the situation.
Lobo said he will do everything possible to provide maximum relief through the government to the affected shack owners.
Calangute Sarpanch, Joseph Sequeira informed that the panchayat will offer some solace to the owners through the natural calamity fund.
“We are sad about the incident. Under the natural calamity we will provide Rs 1 lakh each to the owners. It won’t be enough to cover the huge losses they have suffered but we will do our bit and request other people to also help,” Sequeira said.
