NT Reporter
Calangute
Two wooden cottages were gutted in a fire at Tivaiwada, Calangute early on Wednesday morning. Two tourists from Mysuru who were staying in the cottages had a narrow escape after being alerted in time.
Shrikrishna Parrikar, in-charge of the Pilerne fire station, said the control room received a call at 5.20 am on Wednesday informing that cottages at Tivai Vaddo had caught fire. A fire tender was immediately rushed to the site. On arrival, firefighters found that two of the eight wooden cottages were engulfed in flames. The Mapusa fire station was called in for assistance.
Firefighting operations began immediately and the blaze was brought under control after nearly 40 minutes. Along with the two cottages, a storeroom was also gutted in the fire.
Parrikar said foul play was suspected as there appeared to have been attempts to set fire to the remaining six cottages. Burning particles were found on the doors and doormats of each cottage, raising suspicion.
The two tourists from Mysuru and a worker
who was sleeping in the
storeroom were alerted in time and escaped without injuries.
The fire personnel have estimated the loss at Rs 4 lakh.
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, who visited the site, said police were investigating the matter.
“He can be an ex-worker who got drunk and tried to set fire because there were fire particles on the doormat. The police are trying to get footage from the CCTV surveillance in the neighbourhood. The culprit will be arrested soon,” Lobo said.
Lobo said CCTV cameras serve as the eyes of the
police.
“The panchayat, police, Tourism Department and government should jointly take initiative to install CCTVs. Cameras are installed on the promenade. Baga will also get cameras on lanes going to the beach. Entry and exit points are required for better surveillance on anti-social elements and to detect people involved in crime,” Lobo said.
