An Assagao shop fire injured four people and gutted four vehicles on Tuesday afternoon, with the nearest fire tender unavailable because it was attending another incident in Tivim, officials said. The blaze broke out at about 3.30pm at a shop selling bamboo articles on the ground floor of a building in Assagao, Goa.
Locals rushed to the shop after the fire began and helped rescue workers who were trapped inside. An eyewitness told the Times of India that a foreign tourist also assisted in the rescue operation. The injured people were taken to hospital before firefighters reached the site.
The Mapusa fire tender, which officials identified as the nearest available unit for Assagao, was engaged in firefighting operations at Tivim when the emergency call was received. The fire brigade reached the Assagao site about 30 minutes after the call, according to the report.
A fire station official said tenders were dispatched from Pilern, Porvorim and the fire headquarters. The tender deployed at Tivim was also called back as a precaution after the grass fire there was contained. It then proceeded to Assagao, while additional tenders were sent to tackle the shop fire and prevent the flames from spreading to the upper floors of the building.
The incident highlights the operational pressure faced by fire services when nearby response units are already committed to another emergency. In this case, the delay was linked not to a lack of a fire service response, but to the nearest tender being deployed at Tivim. The available information does not establish whether the delay increased the extent of damage or injuries.
Four vehicles, including a four-wheeler, were gutted in the blaze. The shop’s bamboo products also presented a combustible material load on the ground floor, although officials have not stated that the material caused or accelerated the fire.
Firefighters said the flames were fully extinguished by 5.30pm. Fire service teams remained involved in controlling the blaze and preventing it from reaching other floors before returning to base after the operation.
The cause of the Assagao shop fire remains under investigation. Officials have not released further details about the condition of the four injured people or the extent of structural damage to the building.
