NT Reporter
Vasco
A fire at an under-construction building at Phase IV of the Verna Industrial Estate was brought under control after around one-and-a-half hours on Monday, with the Verna Fire Station calling in reinforcements from Vasco, Ponda and Margao as the blaze
spread rapidly.
The fire broke out around 11.25 am at a building belonging to Param Logistics Company, associated with Dulux Paints. Four fire tenders were deployed to tackle the blaze, which caused the collapse of the first floor. Firefighters managed to prevent the ground floor from being
completely destroyed.
Verna Fire Station officer Dilesh Gaonkar said welding work was in progress on the building’s first floor, which was constructed using metal. Workers reportedly told fire personnel that a honeycomb at the site had been disturbed during the work, causing the bees to attack them.
The workers carrying out the welding allegedly dropped the welding machine following the attack. Sparks from the machine are suspected to have ignited paint stored at the site for the building’s painting work. A large quantity of scrap material on the premises further fuelled the fire, causing it to
spread rapidly.
The workers fled as the flames engulfed the building. The incident was subsequently reported to the supervisor, who alerted the Verna Fire Station.
The extent of the damage and the financial losses are yet to be assessed. Sources indicated that the losses could run into several lakhs of rupees.
