13 small fire incidents reported in two days

Panaji: Since Saturday, the state witnessed 13 small fire incidents from various locations, with the majority being dry grass fires reported in the afternoons.“All fires were doused before they could spread and cause damage.

Also, none were injured,” a fire official said.A fire near Mhakhajan, Curtorim, on Sunday afternoon involved a fishing net worth Rs 20,000 being engulfed in flames. A firefighter at the incident said the fire could have spread further, but it was contained.“Since the temperature is high in the afternoons, grass tends to become dry. It can either self-ignite or catch fire because of a lit cigarette lying in an open space,” the fire service official said.Human negligence can also be the cause of fire, or at times, some people with their ulterior motive set dry grass on a hill on fire to destroy a plantation, he said. “In such cases, it is not easy to identify a culprit,” he said.Another dry grass fire incident occurred near former MLA Chandrakant Kavlekar’s residence at Naquerim in Quepem. A small fire spread to a larger area because of chopped wood lying on the grass. The fire was put out before it spread to a residential property, said Kailash Shirke, a fire safety official attached to Quepem fire station.Truptesh Naik, fire station officer at Cuncolim fire station, said people need to take precautions to avoid a small fire spreading.