CANACONA
A tailor’s shop was gutted in a fire during a lunch break in a busy locality of Chaudi town in Canacona on Saturday.
The fire was initially brought under control by staff from neighbouring shops who noticed smoke billowing from the closed shop, before a fire tender reached the site after considerable delay to finally bring the fire under control.
According to sources, staff from a neighbouring sweet mart noticed smoke from the tailoring shop owned by Rohidas Velip, which was closed for lunch at the old bus stand in Chaudi at about 2.15 pm.
After notifying the Canacona fire station, the staff and some locals used one litre drinking water bottles, and 20 litre water cans to keep the fire under control.
Sources said it took about an hour for a fire tender to reach the site, as they had to travel from the remote Chapoli via a narrow road.
The fire was finally extinguished by firefighters, but by then two sewing machines and all clothes inside the shop were reduced to ashes.
Locals were unhappy with the prolonged delay of the fire tender from the Canacona fire station and claimed that this delay was primarily due to the shifting of the station from the centrally located Mastimoll area to a distant Chapoli which connected to a narrow road.
“The fire in a centrally located Chaudi town is a glaring example why fire stations should be placed in a central and easily accessible location,” remarked a local.
