Blaze damages heritage house at Santa Cruz

Panaji: A devastating fire broke out in an unoccupied heritage house at Santa Cruz early Friday evening, which saw fire services personnel working till the night to douse the flames. The cause of the blaze is being ascertained.
Three fire tenders from Panaji that were deployed to douse the inferno ran out of water, prompting firefighters to call for back-up from the Mapusa fire station.
While an estimate of the damages is being prepared, the house’s wooden roof and furniture have been destroyed.
Estimated to be at least 100 years old, villagers said the house is one of the few well-maintained properties in the village despite its age, and had fallen vacant a few years ago owing to a property dispute that cropped up after the original owner passed away.
The fire broke out at around 4.30pm, following which the panchayat and fire and emergency services were alerted. Relatives of the original family also arrived at the site.