Daijiworld Media Network - Vasco
Vasco, Oct 29: More than 150 shops were destroyed in a major fire that broke out at a market in Goa’s port town of Vasco around midnight on Wednesday, causing extensive damage to merchandise stocked for Diwali. No injuries were reported, officials said on Thursday.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the affected area along with local legislators and a state minister. He said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined and assured financial assistance to the affected shopkeepers.
“The incident is unfortunate, as vendors who had stocked their shops with essential items for Diwali have suffered major losses,” Sawant said.
Firefighters battled the blaze for around four hours before bringing it under control. Director General of Police Alok Kumar told PTI that fire tenders from various establishments, including the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Goa Shipyard Limited and Mormugao Port Authority, were deployed to contain the fire.
According to eyewitnesses, three separate fire incidents occurred in Vasco within a short period. The first was reported around 10.30 pm on Wednesday at a house on the outskirts of the town. A second fire broke out at a garage, destroying two vehicles. Shortly afterwards, a major blaze engulfed the market, prompting vendors to make desperate attempts to salvage their goods.
In a separate incident, four huts were destroyed in a fire at Karave village in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai township on Wednesday morning. Household belongings and four vehicles were damaged, but no casualties were reported.
The fire broke out around 6.15 am in huts located along Palm Beach Road on the Vashi-Belapur route. Firefighters rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident and brought the blaze under control by around 8 am, said Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation fire officer Purushottam Jadhav.
The fire spread through the huts, destroying belongings kept inside. Firefighters managed to contain the flames within approximately two hours, preventing further spread. No injuries or deaths were reported.