Team Herald
MARGAO: The Verna Fire Station has sent a letter to the automobile service centre in the Verna Industrial Estate seeking details about the NOC (No Objection Certificate) obtained from the IDC for parking vehicles. The fire department has also inquired if all the cars gutted in the fire were insured and requested information about the area occupied by the service centre.
An inspection by the fire department revealed that the service centre had two fire hydrant points, neither of which was in working condition. Nitin V Raiker, Director of Fire and Emergency Services, along with Verna Station Fire Officer Dilesh Gaunker, visited the site where a massive fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon. A report of the incident has been prepared and submitted to the department.
Verna Police Inspector Melson Colaco confirmed that the police have registered a fire case, and an investigation is underway. At present, the police have ruled out foul play. Mormugao Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Gurudas Kadam has also inspected the fire site.
The devastating fire, which started in a patch of dry grass 200 metres away, spread to the car service centre and destroyed 33 vehicles. The estimated loss is in crores. Efforts to identify the owners of the damaged vehicles are ongoing. According to sources at the Verna Fire Station, some cars were brought in for servicing, while others were parked at the centre.
Sources revealed that besides the cars, a diesel generator, paint booth, and compressor were also damaged in the fire.