NT Reporter
Panaji
Fire erupting from two water drain holes in a retaining wall along a road shoulder took residents of Taleigao by surprise on Sunday night.
The incident, which occurred near the football ground in the village, is suspected to be the result of a leakage in natural gas pipeline laid in the area.
According to Panaji fire station officials, bursting of firecrackers in view of Ganesh Chaturthi festivities may have acted as an igniter, bringing the gas leak incident to light.
The fire station officials said a call was received by them around 11.49 pm on Sunday. A team, led by sub-officer Francisco Azavedo, soon reached the spot and doused the fire with the help of an extinguisher.
Azavedo said they immediately contacted officials of Goa Natural Gas following which an emergency team from Goa Natural Gas arrived and closed a valve to stop the leakage.
As per the fire station officials, a representative of Goa Natural Gas claimed that a leakage in the gas pipeline was reported earlier too. He said the earlier leak had occurred a few metres away from the present spot and it was subsequently repaired.
The fire officials said the Goa Natural Gas representative suspected that the present leakage may have initiated from the earlier leak spot. Personnel from Goa Natural Gas are working to locate the fault and plug the leakage, said the fire station officials.
