Fire destroys beachside resort at Ashwem, Rs 25 lakh loss estimated

Panaji: A fire broke out at the beachside Tan-n-Sand resort near the Ajoba Devasthan at Ashwem on Monday. The 40-room hotel, reportedly owned by Lalit Arora, suffered an estimated loss of Rs 25 lakh, but no person was injured, said firefighters.

The fire began just after 9am when most of the hotel guests and staff were having their breakfast. Though the hotel staff suspect that the fire began because of a short circuit, firefighters said the exact cause has not been determined.

“The hotel guys claim that it is a short circuit. The power went out, so they started the generator, but when the power supply resumed, the changeover did not happen, and that’s when they saw sparks near the generator,” said an officer with the directorate of fire and emergency services.

The fire destroyed two diesel generators, a transformer, and the sewage treatment plant. The firefighters managed to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to the hotel rooms.

A local panch member, Prakash Shirodkar, called the Pernem fire station. “They had a firefighting system, but because the power went off, they could not start the pump. “They used all the fire extinguishers that they had, and when we came, we continued the firefighting operations,” said the fire officer.


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