STAGE BLAZE: A fire breaks out on a stage that was being constructed for the Serendipity Festival during welding work at the Kala Academy on Monday.
PANAJI
Barely 24 hours after the Birch by Romeo Lane inferno claimed 25 lives, Goa witnessed yet another fire scare on Monday — this time at the Serendipity Arts Festival venue at Kala Academy.
No casualties were reported, but the incident has once again raised serious questions over fire safety compliance at festival sites.
The fire broke out during welding work on a set being erected outside the complex. Fire fighters at the site said the blaze erupted at a height of around four metres and spread quickly due to flammable materials used for the temporary structure.
Although fire tenders rushed to the spot, security guards present at the venue managed to control the flames before the fire services arrived.
“The guards are trained in basic firefighting and that controlled fire. By the time we reached, fire was doused,” an officer said.
Director of Fire & Emergency Services Nitin Raiker, when asked by reporters whether a fire officer should be deployed at the venue, stated that the responsibility lies with the organisers. “The organisers should take care of that. They should have their fire safety officer,” he said.
Another fire officer at the scene stated that while extinguishers were available, the height at which the work was underway and the combustible material caused the fire to spread rapidly. “We will issue recommendations again. They were working at four metres,” he said.
This is the second consecutive year that the Serendipity venue has caught fire. On December 8, 2024, a temporary theatre erected at the Inox Courtyard was gutted in a blaze triggered by welding work during fabrication. That fire spread within minutes despite attempts by fire personnel and Inox’s safety team to contain it.
After this incident, fire officers had pointed to the absence of basic safety measures at the site, including fire extinguishers, sand buckets and adequate trained manpower. At the time, the Fire Department had asserted that guidelines had already been issued to organisers in 2023.
Officials said instructions were reiterated after the 2024 incident and will be issued again following Monday's fire.
