TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The fire in the market complex, according to prima facie evidence, was due to a short circuit. This is not a surprise, as new and old coils of wires on plastic sheets have caused fires more than once in the market.
Besides, there is no proper fire fighting system in place even though this area has been prone to fire incidents in the past as well.
Monday’s incident exposed the chinks in the fire prevention measures inside the market when the fire personnel found one of the hydrants was in working condition. Also, though the fire safety equipment has been fitted, none of it was maintained and so was not in a state to be used.
During its regular fire safety inspections, Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services had made several fire safety recommendations.
The fire safety experts also observed that the fire safety measures are not up to the mark to tackle emergencies.
