Incomplete job by fire personnel leads to destruction of plantation

Incomplete job by fire personnel leads to destruction of plantation
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CANACONA, FEB 20
Improper management of grass fire by fire brigade personnel showing its delinquency while attending fire calls reportedly resulted in destruction of part of cashew plantations in fire at Keri-Agonda, causing a loss of over Rs 25,000 on Sunday afternoon.
According to fire services source, they received a second call on Sunday afternoon that cashew plantation is engulfed in fire, after they had already attended to a call just one hour before to put off grass fire in the locality.
In the first case, fire services personnel informed that they had doused-off fire after a call was received from some passing motorists on Agonda-Canacona road, reporting grass fire in the isolated forests/thick vegetations of Keri.
However, sources informed that soon after fire personnel left, apparently believing they had brought the fire under control, the fire re-started and soon engulfed vast nearby area having freshly flowered cashew plantations.
By the time fire brigade returned with second water tank, the thick flowered cashew plantations were already burnt and badly damaged.
Fire services provided the cashew plantations owner names as one Guresh Rane and Rupesh Rane, and the anticipated losses suffered by them as Rs 25,000.
Even as fire brigade had left the area second time, some people carrying water buckets were seen trying to put off traces of fire and smoke left in the area.
When contacted, fire personnel informed that they are not aware as to the source of fire at Keri cashew plantations, but earlier attended a grass fire call a little north of cashew plantations fire incident at in the same Keri vicinity.