the goan I network
VASCO
A house was gutted in a major fire at Patrong-Baina on Friday evening.
Though the house was destroyed, no one was hurt in the mishap as the house owner, Ahmed Shaikh, was at work in a hotel at Mobor, while his wife had gone to the market, their son had gone to play while the daughter had been out for tuition.
The fire was so big that three fire tenders, one each from Vasco fire station, Zuari Industries and Goa Shipyard, took part in the fire-fighting operations for around two hours to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to adjacent houses.
However, all furniture, electronic appliances and the roof with tiles were gutted in the fire.
The narrow access to the site and entry into the house made things difficult for the fire tenders, even as firefighters continued to battle the fire.
When contacted, Chandbi Shaikh said she had lit a lamp and left the house and her son had informed her about the fire.
Though the actual reason for the fire is unclear, fire officials suspect it could also be due to a short circuit coupled with a subsequent gas cylinder leakage after the house was on fire.
When contacted, Fire Officer Francisco Mendes said the Vasco fire services received a call at around 7.40 pm.
“When our team saw the huge flames from afar, assistance was immediately sought from GSL and Zuari. Timely intervention prevented the fire from spreading to other houses. Losses have not been ascertained as of now but all the items in the house are completely gutted. The total losses will be ascertained only after speaking with the owners,” said Mendes.
