Old Goa fire team rescues Odisha man from boat blaze

Panaji: The firefighters of the Old Goa fire station rescued a man from Odisha after he was found unconscious while trying to put out a small fire on his trawler boat near Dauji Road on Tuesday evening.

Fire officer Amit Rivonkar from the station, who performed the rescue, said, “We received a call at 7.15 pm that a trawler boat was on fire near Dauji Road. But one of our tenders was out attending another emergency, so we took one motor rescue unit and one more firefighter along with us.”


When the firefighters reached the site, the labourers working on the trawler boat had already put out the fire. “The labourers knew how to use a fire extinguisher and brought the fire under control. A portion of the deck got charred,” said Rivonkar.

Soon, one of the labourers fainted after dousing the fire. Firefighters suspected the labourer inhaled toxic fumes or suffered psychological shock as a trauma response to the sudden blaze and chaos at the site.

“The labourers presumed him dead and were aggressively rubbing his palms and trying to wake him up. He was unresponsive, had a weak pulse, and wasn’t breathing,” Rivonkar said.

The firefighters dialled the 108 helpline number to request an ambulance service at the scene and ensured the area was safe. Meanwhile, the firefighters performed CPR and closely monitored his pulse and breathing. By the time the ambulance reached, the man regained consciousness and showed signs of recovery.

The man was later sent to Goa Medical College (GMC) for further treatment.