the goan I network
VALPOI
A major fire gutted the liquor store of former deputy speaker Narhari Haldankar on the ground floor of his residential building in Valpoi on Wednesday evening,
Fire tenders from Bicholim, Ponda and Old Goa battled for nearly 3 hours before finally extinguishing the flames.
According to reports, the fire took place at the liquor store on the ground floor of the residential building of former deputy speaker and former Valpoi MLA Narhari Haldankar at about 5 pm.
At the time of the incident, his family was on the first floor, while his brother, Santosh, and his family were on the second floor of the building.
There was panic when a sudden explosion was heard in the liquor store on the ground floor, which had large quantities of liquor as Haldankar is a leading liquor stockist in the area.
The three salesgirls working in the liquor store were terrified on hearing the explosion.
Former Valpoi councillor Sehzain Sheikh, who was working nearby, instructed the petrified salesgirls to leave the premises immediately and alerted the Valpoi fire station.
Around the same time, both Haldankar families evacuated from the residential building.
Sheikh told reporters that locals had first made attempts to control the fire on the ground floor.
A Valpoi fire tender rushed to the site, but the flames had rapidly spread before the fire tenders from Bicholim, Ponda and Old Goa reached. The firefighters battled for about 3 hours before extinguishing the fire at about 8 pm.
Vast quantities of liquor, machinery and other property were destroyed in the fire.
According to Valpoi Fire Officer Shripad Gawas, the first and second floors of the Haldankar building were unharmed in the fire mishap.
“The exact cause of the fire will be known after a panchanama is conducted on Thursday,” said Gawas.
