MAPUSA
A tragedy struck at the Holiday Street lane in Calangute when 14 temporary shops were reduced to ashes in a major fire accident in the wee hours of Saturday.
A car parked along the street was also damaged in the blaze, but there was no loss of life.
Fire tenders from Pilerne and Mapusa fought the flames for almost three hours to put off the blaze which broke out at around 3 am.
Incidentally, the Calangute coast was abuzz with New Year celebrations with tourists zipping through the streets throughout the night.
The shops were dealing with garments, imitation jewellery, bags and other accessories.
According to officials of Pilerne Fire Station, they received a call at around 3.30 am and rushed to the spot within 10 minutes. They were later joined by a fire tender from Mapusa.
A shop owner informed that they had shut their shops for the day at around 2 am and retired for the night nearby but were woken up after hearing a cracking sound of the metal sheets burning under the heat.
“When I rushed out I saw some shops on fire. But within minutes, the fire spread to all the shops,” said Sajjan Morya, one of the owners.
All the shops were run by Nepalese for the last many years.
“We have been operating from this place since 2008. We have been paying panchayat licence fees and other costs,” said Ishwar Chavan, another shop owner.
He said the shop owners had brought fresh stock due to the ongoing peak season and estimated a loss of around Rs 35 to Rs 40 lakh.
A Pilerne fire official informed that the cause of the fire will be ascertained only after they get reports from the electricity department and the police.
The police have downloaded CCTV footage from the area to find out whether there was any mischief in the fire incident.
