MAPUSA: A ravaging fire reduced part of the popular Antares beach resort in Vagator to ashes on Wednesday evening.
The fire, the cause of which is still to be ascertained, destroyed some rooms, a restaurant and the office, which were all made of wood and thatched roofing.
Fortunately, no guests were in the rooms when the fire broke out except for the few staff, who ran out to safety.
“Three rooms, a restaurant and the office of the Anteras resort were gutted in the fire. We managed to save around 11 rooms of the property and two restaurants and some transformers located nearby,” said Ajit Kamat, Assistant Divisional Officer, Panaji.
Strong seaside breeze fanned the fire which started at around 4.30 in the evening, eyewitnesses said.
It is believed the some people living in houses around the resort set fire to some garbage which later spread to the resort.
Fire personnel from Mapusa and Pilerne Fire Station battled the fire for over two hours before the fire was brought under control.
Two fire brigades from Mapusa, one each from Pilerne and Panaji headquarters, rushed to the site to firefight the massive flames.
During the evacuation, fire personnel managed to remove two burning gas cylinders before they could explode. They also saved the fire from spreading to two adjacent restaurants and three transformers located close by.
Fire personnel pegged the loss to around Rs 20-25 lakh.
Besides Assistant Divisional Officer, Ajit Kamat, Mapusa Fire Officer, Bosco Ferrao, Sub-Officer, Ashok Parab and other fire officers from Mapusa, Pilerne and Panajii headquarters took part in the fire-fighting and rescue operation.
It may be recalled a shack and a garment stall went up in flames on Tuesday morning on the beach in the same area.
