PANAJI
The fire at cane shops in Assagao, which drew four to five fire tenders and required repeated trips to contain the blaze, came barely a fortnight after the devastating Sunday Market fire in Vasco.
The two incidents came against the backdrop of over 225 calls the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services attended between October 26 and November 10. These included around 100 fire calls, 125-odd emergency calls and three calls under other categories. The department classified 10 incidents as serious during the 16 days.
Official information reveals that the incidents claimed five human lives and five animals, while fire personnel rescued 16 people and 42 animals. Estimated property losses are pegged at Rs 1.92 crore, against property worth Rs 1.01 crore saved during the period.
On November 9 alone, fire stations across Goa attended 25 calls, comprising 12 fire incidents and 13 emergencies. The day's operations included two serious incidents, one major fire and four rescue operations.
The two serious incidents fell within the jurisdiction of the Curchorem and Mapusa fire stations, with one fatality reported in each. A major incident at Kundaim caused an estimated property loss of Rs 8 lakh. The 25 calls attended during the day, along with the additional reinforcement deployment, accounted for 26 fire-tender trips.
This was followed by another major fire on November 10, Tuesday, at Assagao - also falling within the jurisdiction of Mapusa fire station.
