Police said some tourists, who had been staying at the resort, vacated the premises when they noticed the blaze as it spread towards the cottages. (Express Photos)
Six cottages were gutted after a fire broke out at a beach resort in North Goa Thursday night. No casualties were reported, the police and fire department officials said.
According to the police, the fire broke out at a beach resort near the Ajoba temple near Ashvem beach around 8.45 pm. The blaze soon spread and engulfed the wooden cottages at the resort. A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said: “Fire tenders from Pernem and Mapusa fire stations were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control. There are no casualties. Six cottages/huts were gutted in the fire”.
Police said some tourists, who had been staying at the resort, vacated the premises when they noticed the blaze as it spread towards the cottages. Fire department officials said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, adding that a preliminary probe suggests a short circuit may have led to the fire.
The incident comes days after six shacks at Arambol beach were gutted in a fire on April 4 late night. No loss of life was reported in the incident.
Earlier, 25 people including five tourists were killed in a fire at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora on December 6 last year. The Goa Police filed a chargesheet last month against 13 accused, including brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, in connection with the fire. In the chargesheets, the police stated that due to irresponsible acts of the accused persons, 25 people lost their lives, causing “irreparable loss which shattered 25 families reflecting gross criminal negligence and utter disregard for human life and complete failure of the accused to adhere to statutory and safety norms.”
The technical fire safety incident report, compiled by the Fire Department in the immediate aftermath of the fire, had said that the fire appeared to have “transitioned rapidly from the incipient stage to the fully developed stage due to the presence of highly combustible interior finishes (wooden panels, partitions, decor), high fuel load density in the restaurant and bar areas, presence of flammable furnishings and plastics, and potential ignition sources from electrical installations and external ignition activities”.
The establishment had not obtained a valid No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department, indicating non-compliance with mandatory fire safety regulations.
Stay updated with the latest – Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
