Sinquerim church quarters ravaged by fire, priests unharmed

Calangute: Three priests staying at the St Lawrence church at Aguada, Sinquerim, had a miraculous escape when a major fire broke out in the early hours on Sunday. The fire damaged the residential quarters of the priests and also damaged the roof.

Antiques, papers, furniture, roof beams, and other items were destroyed in the fire. No one was injured.Sinquerim parish priest Fr Lester Cardozo said the fire broke out at around 5.30am due to a short circuit. The priests had woken up at 5am and were in the adjoining church when the blaze occurred. The blaze spread rapidly before the priests could get any help.“It started in one of the rooms. Luckily, Fr Tony, who stays there, was not in the room.

He was praying in the church and did not notice the fire when it started. The flames spread to four more rooms, and by the time we saw it, it was uncontrollable. We tried calling the fire brigade, but there was no network range. We then went out, informed the Fabrica members, and called the fire brigade. They arrived around 6.30am and put out the fire.

” Fr Cardozo said. “We don’t know if the roof will collapse. We will not stay in the rooms as of now for our safety, ” he said.

Fabrica president Paul Silveira said, “The fire brigade took around 45 minutes to reach because they were in Calangute attending to another fire. The fire was extinguished by 9.30am. The roof has been extensively damaged. The loss will be known only after proper assessment by competent authorities.”Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said, “It’s a very sad incident. The main beam of the church is completely burnt. The rooms and many antiques were also burnt. There will be major repairs needed, and I’ve asked the chief minister to provide assistance apart from others who will be willing to help,” he said.