MAPUSA
Three temporary shops dealing with readymade garments were completely gutted while a restaurant was partly damaged in a fire incident reported at Baga, Calangute on Saturday noon, the Pilerne Fire Station officer said.
No one was injured in the incident. The fire officer has pegged a loss of around Rs 80 lakh.
The Pilerne First Station personnel rushed to the spot after receiving a call at around 1 pm.
The shops were closed on account of the curfew that has been imposed in the State.
Pilerne Fire Station Officer Damodar Pednekar informed that three temporary shops were completely gutted in the fire while a restaurant was partly damaged.
“We managed to save the restaurant and two houses in the vicinity or else the damage would have been much more,” Pednekar said.
The exact cause of the fire was not known.
“The shops have no electricity connection so obviously short-circuit is ruled out,” the fire officer said.
The property belongs to one Lily Andrade who was running a restaurant behind the shops.
Each of the shop operators claimed to have lost goods worth Rs 20 lakh while the restaurant owner also claimed losses of Rs 20 lakh.
Two fire tenders -- one each from Pilerne and Mapusa Fire Stations -- were used to douse the flames. The fire was put off within half an hour.
Ports Minister and local MLA Michael Lobo visited the spot to take stock of the situation.
