Calangute spa gutted in blaze

Calangute: A Thai spa in Calangute was extensively damaged in a fire which broke out on Thursday morning.Pilerne fire station received a call around 8.15am about a fire at Gold Touch luxury spa at Naikawaddo, Calangute.

Firefighters reached the spot by 8.30am and started to extinguish the blaze and contain its spread.Eight spa rooms on the first floor were gutted in the blaze, officials said. “When we reached there, the first floor of the spa was on fire. There was a lot of smoke, so three firefighters went inside and opened all the windows and doors for ventilation. There were a lot of towels, bedsheets and mattresses that caused the fire to spread,” officials said.“The fire started because of a short-circuit in the AC, according to the owner. This is likely the cause, as it has been raining heavily since Wednesday, which may have caused the short circuit. The loss is substantial, but the owner has yet to give an exact estimate. No one was injured in the incident,” officials said.As it was a major fire, Pilerne fire station officials called for an extra fire tender from Mapusa. The duty crew consisted of sub-officer Sunny Phayde and firefighters Dinesh Gawade, Pritesh Mahaldar, Shrikant Sawant, Rajkiran Pednekar and Prahlad Kotkar.