VASCO
Anger and frustration mounted at the site, with several traders questioning the effectiveness of the firefighting operation.
Some accused the fire services of failing to contain the blaze in its initial stages and confronted Vasco Fire Station Station Officer Dilip Bicholkar, prompting police to intervene and maintain order.
The fire reportedly began at one end of the congested market. Locals who noticed the initial flames alerted the fire services, but the blaze spread rapidly from one shop to another. Tarpaulins, rags and other combustible materials helped fuel the inferno, allowing the flames to engulf large sections of the complex before traders could salvage their belongings.
As news of the fire spread, hundreds of vendors and their family members rushed to the market, desperately attempting to retrieve whatever they could. Some tried to remove merchandise while others poured water in an effort to contain the flames. However, the speed and intensity of the fire left little time to save the stocks.
The scene soon descended into chaos, with traders shouting, crying and pleading for help as flames shot high into the night sky, visible from kilometres away. Residents from across Vasco rushed to the spot, turning the area into a sea of people as firefighters battled to prevent the blaze from consuming the entire market.
Traders have demanded that the incident be declared a State Disaster, along with full compensation, an inquiry into the cause of the blaze, and urgent rehabilitation to help them restart their businesses.
The fire, which destroyed most of the market last night, has left traders facing massive losses just days before Diwali. Several merchants had borrowed money to purchase festive stock, leaving them with mounting debts and no immediate means of earning an income.
“Except for a few shops, the entire market has been completely destroyed. There must be an inquiry and a full investigation into how the fire broke out,” a trader said, while speaking to the media.
“We are not going to vacate this place or go anywhere else. We urge the government and administration to work on a war footing to reallocate space to us at the earliest and provide complete assistance to restart our businesses,” he added.
The traders said they were still struggling to assess their losses and come to terms with the devastation.
“We haven’t even recovered from the shock yet. The fire broke out last night, no one has slept, and we cannot immediately give an exact assessment of the financial loss,” the trader said.
He said merchants would consult one another and prepare an honest and transparent list of their losses, including identifying shops that had little or no stock at the time of the fire.
“If the government is helping us, an accurate and transparent list must reach them,” he said.
Highlighting the scale of the losses, the trader cited his brother’s case, saying he had brought in merchandise worth Rs 11 lakh just a day before the fire. Of this, Rs 7 lakh had been obtained on credit from suppliers, while the remaining Rs 4 lakh had been arranged from other sources. “Only two main days of sales were left for Diwali,” he said, estimating that around 70% of merchants had lost their entire inventory.
Explaining the challenges faced by the firefighting teams, Bicholkar said three fire incidents had been reported in Vasco within approximately one hour.
The first call came at around 10.20 pm following a vehicle fire at a house in New Vaddem. At approximately 10.37 pm, another fire was reported at a car accessories shop in the Tilak Maidan building, where two fire tenders were deployed.
While personnel were engaged at the second incident, the Vasco Fire Station received a call about the Sunday market blaze at around 11.59 pm. One fire tender was diverted from the earlier operation to assist at the market, Bicholkar added.
Bicholkar stated the intensity of the flames, the lack of nearby water availability and the large crowd at the site created serious difficulties.
Panicked vendors were desperately urging firefighters to protect shops on different sides of the complex, while the movement of fire tenders was hampered by the crowd gathered in the congested area.
Firefighting assistance was subsequently mobilised from multiple locations, including the Mormugao Port Authority, Goa Shipyard Limited, Zuari Industries, Ponda, Verna, Margao and Curchorem. Three fire tenders were also deployed from the Panaji headquarters, in addition to two from Vasco, taking the total number of fire tenders involved to 14.
Each fire tender reportedly made four to six trips to replenish its water supply as personnel battled the blaze for hours.
The Indian Navy also assisted authorities in the firefighting operations. Following a request from local authorities, the Indian Navy mobilised five Defence Fire Tenders (DFTs) from INS Gomantak, INS Hansa and the Naval Armament Depot (NAD), under Headquarters, Goa Naval Area (HQGNA), to support the firefighting operations. Naval firefighting teams worked in close coordination with the Goa State Fire and Emergency Services.The fire was brought under control at around 4 am on Thursday. (5cols lead///with pic)
Demand ‘state disaster’ tag for fire incident, full compensation, rehabilitation
THE GOAN NETWORK
VASCO
Anger and frustration mounted at the site, with several traders questioning the effectiveness of the firefighting operation.
Some accused the fire services of failing to contain the blaze in its initial stages and confronted Vasco Fire Station Station Officer Dilip Bicholkar, prompting police to intervene and maintain order.
The fire reportedly began at one end of the congested market. Locals who noticed the initial flames alerted the fire services, but the blaze spread rapidly from one shop to another. Tarpaulins, rags and other combustible materials helped fuel the inferno, allowing the flames to engulf large sections of the complex before traders could salvage their belongings.
As news of the fire spread, hundreds of vendors and their family members rushed to the market, desperately attempting to retrieve whatever they could. Some tried to remove merchandise while others poured water in an effort to contain the flames. However, the speed and intensity of the fire left little time to save the stocks.
The scene soon descended into chaos, with traders shouting, crying and pleading for help as flames shot high into the night sky, visible from kilometres away. Residents from across Vasco rushed to the spot, turning the area into a sea of people as firefighters battled to prevent the blaze from consuming the entire market.
Traders have demanded that the incident be declared a State Disaster, along with full compensation, an inquiry into the cause of the blaze, and urgent rehabilitation to help them restart their businesses.
The fire, which destroyed most of the market last night, has left traders facing massive losses just days before Diwali. Several merchants had borrowed money to purchase festive stock, leaving them with mounting debts and no immediate means of earning an income.
“Except for a few shops, the entire market has been completely destroyed. There must be an inquiry and a full investigation into how the fire broke out,” a trader said, while speaking to the media.
“We are not going to vacate this place or go anywhere else. We urge the government and administration to work on a war footing to reallocate space to us at the earliest and provide complete assistance to restart our businesses,” he added.
The traders said they were still struggling to assess their losses and come to terms with the devastation.
“We haven’t even recovered from the shock yet. The fire broke out last night, no one has slept, and we cannot immediately give an exact assessment of the financial loss,” the trader said.
He said merchants would consult one another and prepare an honest and transparent list of their losses, including identifying shops that had little or no stock at the time of the fire.
“If the government is helping us, an accurate and transparent list must reach them,” he said.
Highlighting the scale of the losses, the trader cited his brother’s case, saying he had brought in merchandise worth Rs 11 lakh just a day before the fire. Of this, Rs 7 lakh had been obtained on credit from suppliers, while the remaining Rs 4 lakh had been arranged from other sources. “Only two main days of sales were left for Diwali,” he said, estimating that around 70% of merchants had lost their entire inventory.
Explaining the challenges faced by the firefighting teams, Bicholkar said three fire incidents had been reported in Vasco within approximately one hour.
The first call came at around 10.20 pm following a vehicle fire at a house in New Vaddem. At approximately 10.37 pm, another fire was reported at a car accessories shop in the Tilak Maidan building, where two fire tenders were deployed.
While personnel were engaged at the second incident, the Vasco Fire Station received a call about the Sunday market blaze at around 11.59 pm. One fire tender was diverted from the earlier operation to assist at the market, Bicholkar added.
Bicholkar stated the intensity of the flames, the lack of nearby water availability and the large crowd at the site created serious difficulties.
Panicked vendors were desperately urging firefighters to protect shops on different sides of the complex, while the movement of fire tenders was hampered by the crowd gathered in the congested area.
Firefighting assistance was subsequently mobilised from multiple locations, including the Mormugao Port Authority, Goa Shipyard Limited, Zuari Industries, Ponda, Verna, Margao and Curchorem. Three fire tenders were also deployed from the Panaji headquarters, in addition to two from Vasco, taking the total number of fire tenders involved to 14.
Each fire tender reportedly made four to six trips to replenish its water supply as personnel battled the blaze for hours.
The Indian Navy also assisted authorities in the firefighting operations. Following a request from local authorities, the Indian Navy mobilised five Defence Fire Tenders (DFTs) from INS Gomantak, INS Hansa and the Naval Armament Depot (NAD), under Headquarters, Goa Naval Area (HQGNA), to support the firefighting operations. Naval firefighting teams worked in close coordination with the Goa State Fire and Emergency Services.The fire was brought under control at around 4 am on Thursday.
