Fire personnel save property worth Rs 22 lakh
PANJIM, MARCH 25
The Panjim Fire Services Department saved property worth around Rs 22 lakh when a garage opposite T B Hospital, near St Inez, here, went up in flames after midnight at around 1.13 am on Thursday, even as the cause of the fire remains unknown. Around three cars, three bikes and a few items, all worth Rs 8,24,000, housed in the S V Chari Auto and Body Workshop were engulfed by the rampaging fire.
The Fire Services said a Tata Indica, Maruti 800, Fiat Uno, Bajaj Pulsar, Splendour, a Vespa scooter, new paint stock, one cupboard, three tool boxes, two refrigerators, a sofa set, two showcases and cash (amount not known) were charred in the blaze.
Fire personnel, who reached the spot from their Headquarters situated nearby, managed to save a Maruti Swift, Getz Hyundai, two tempo pick-ups, Tata Mobile, Maruti Zen, Maruti Esteem and Ford Ikon from the blazing flames.
Half of an adjacent house was also engulfed by the flames that destroyed household items. The fire officials pegged the loss caused to the house at Rs 3 lakh.
Station Fire Officer Harischandra D Naik who was part of the action to douse the fire, said the new paint stock in the garage having a huge area had aggravated the fire further. “The flames spread after an LPG cylinder burst. It took us a total of an hour to completely ensure that the fire was brought under control,” he mentioned.
Naik said the cause of the fire cannot be ascertained. We have asked the Electricity Department to carry a check at the spot to see if the fire had anything to do with the wiring in the garage run by Syham V Chari, he informed.
Meanwhile, the Panjim police have registered a fire accident and are investigating the incident.
