Fire guts Ribandar godown, hits nearby building

PANAJI: In a major fire at Patto, Ribandar, on Thursday evening, a furniture godown was gutted and as the blaze spread to an adjacent residential building, residents had to be evacuated. No casualties have been reported.
Despite the gusty winds, firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to the entire two-storey structure, considered to be one of Ribandar's oldest buildings.
The heavy showers helped fight the fire and stopped it from spreading to yet another residence nearby, sources told TOI.
While there was no official word on what caused the fire, an onlooker said the blaze had spread through the godown within a few minutes and even before firefighters could reach the spot it had reached the roof of the structure.
The stock of a branded footwear company that was using the godown has also been destroyed in the flames, said sources.
"The combination of rubber and wood is deadly," said an eyewitness to the incident.
Some 40 firefighters in all were engaged in the operations that were under way till late night.
While the exact cause of the fire is not known at the moment, nor the exact losses suffered, an electrical short circuit is being espoused as a likely cause of the blaze.
The exact cause of the fire will be known only after investigations into the incident are through, said an official of the department of fire and emergency services
There was nobody in the godown when it was engulfed by fire, the official added.