At a time when the Arpora fire tragedy continues to be under dis cussion across Goa, anoth er fire mishap was report ed in the State, this time in the South district, where a beach shack at Utorda was gutted in the early hours of Sunday, resulting in an esti mated loss of around Rs 50 lakh. The fire broke out at the ‘Jamming Goat’ shack owned by Sneha Noronha at around 2 am on Sunday. On receiving information about the incident, per sonnel from the Verna Fire station rushed to the spot under the supervision of official Dilesh Gaonkar. A fire tender from the Mar gao Fire Station was also pressed into service as the flames had spread rapidly by the time firefighters ar rived. Firefighters managed tobring the blaze under con trol after considerable effort, using one fire tender each from Verna and Margao. However, the fire caused ex tensive damage to the shack, destroying tables, chairs, electrical wiring, liquor stock and other material. Preliminary estimates put the loss at approximately Rs 50 lakh. While a short circuit is suspected to be the cause of the fire, officials said the exact reason will be confirmed only after a detailed investigation. The shack owner suggest ed that fireworks carried out in nearby beach weddings and parties could have con tributed to the fire. “We have repeatedly raised concerns about large-scale fireworks in the area. Three years ago, we had faced similar issues related to fireworks near the beach,” Sneha said
She added that Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) officials were scheduled to visit the shack as part of a follow-up on earlier directions, which she had com piled and prepared for compliance. It is pertinent to note that the Goa Coastal Zone Manage ment Authority (GCZMA) had earlier inspected the shack. The incident has once again highlighted concerns over fire safety compliance at beach shacks, especially during the peak tourist season, as authorities continue to review safety norms in the wake of the recent Arpora fire tragedy. The event underscores the need for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations and careful monitoring of high risk activities in tourist-heavy areas
