TEAM HERALD
MAPUSA: Goods worth an estimated Rs 4 lakh were destroyed when two shops were gutted in a fire at Mapusa Market in the wee hours of Friday.
Incidentally, the fire fighters could not operate a fire hydrant barely 20 metres from the shops as it was covered with garbage.
Three other shops located near the shops also suffered partial damage in the fire.
Mapusa fire services received a call at around 4.50 am stating that smoke was found billowing from inside the shops at Mapusa Market.
A fire brigade headed by fire station officer Bosco Ferrao rushed to the market, but found it difficult to access the site due to the narrow passage and overhead tarpaulins in the market.
The fire fighters managed to extinguish the fire within an hour with the help of two fire tenders.
“Since the fire broke out early in the morning, we could undertake the operation smoothly. Had the fire occurred later during the day, it would have been difficult for us enter the market,” Ferrao told Herald. “I have written to the electricity department to investigate the cause of the fire and also advise the affected shopkeepers to submit the items /goods destroyed in the fire to assess the exact loss.”
