BICHOLIM: Two houses at Madhlawada-Kharpal, Latambarcem were gutted in fire during the wee hours of Thursday. The incident occurred around 4:30 am and fire tenders from Bicholim and Mapusa were pressed into service to bring the situation under control. However, the loss is estimated at around Rs 7 lakh. The exact cause of fire could not be ascertained but short circuit is speculated to be the reason.
The houses belong to neighbours Sonu Gawas and Bhiva Gawas. When both the families were in deep sleep, one of the houses caught fire which then spread to the other. Both family members raised an alarm and alerted other neighbours who informed the Bicholim fire tender.
Bicholim fire force officials led by Mahadev Gawas and guided by Rahul Desai rushed to the site and began to douse the flames and soon alerted Mapusa fire services for additional help.
After relentless efforts, the fire was brought under control after nearly 2 hours.
Electrical appliances, jewellery and other materials from both the houses were damaged. Meanwhile, former ZP member Sanjay Shetye and sarpanch Padmakar Malik visited the families and assured them of getting help from the government. Local MLA Dr Chandrakant Shetye paid visit to both the families and extended financial assistance.
