MAPUSA
The Mapusa fire personnel averted a major disaster after a fire to dry grass quickly spread to some scrap dumped in an open area near the Binani in Colvale on Sunday afternoon.
The fire personnel had to struggle for almost four hours to extinguish the fire which turned into a major blaze as the fire engulfed the plastic and fibre items that was dumped in the area.
Two fire tenders from the Mapusa fire station rushed to the site to douse the leaping flames. The fire personnel had to also use foam to avoid the fire from spreading further.
A fire officer informed that the fire personnel used water supplied by the Binani and a scrap yard owner located nearby to bring the raging fire under control.
“There was no damage reported in the incident but timely action of the fire personnel prevented the fire from spreading to a scrap yard located nearby,” a fireman informed.
Later, the owner of the scrap yard owner in a complaint to the Mapusa Police informed that enmity between two groups could have led to the fire incident in the area.
“An individual has staked claim to the property were the fire incident has taken place while the local comunidade has disputed the claim,” the scrap yard owner said in his complaint.
Incidentally, there are several scrapyards that have set shop in the village of Colvale.
There has been a virtual tug of war between local panchayat members to rid the village of the scrapyards which is considered to be a hub for criminal activities.
