Mapusa: Electronic goods and accessories worth Rs 15 lakhs were gutted in a fire that broke out in a shop in a commercial building complex located at Morod in Mapusa on Saturday afternoon. The Mapusa fire station claimed to have saved property worth Rs 50 lakh by taming the fire, which is suspected to have started due to an electric short circuit. The exact cause of the fire, however, is under investigation.Fire officials said the blaze broke out at 2.30pm in the shop, Sai Enterprises, located in the basement of the Essar Trade Centre, which also houses the office of the sub-registrar. Sources said that since it was lunch break, the shop was shut when the fire broke out inside.Soon, the entire building was covered with thick smoke billowing out of the basement, making it difficult for firefighters to douse the flames. Besides the services of three fire tenders from Mapusa and one from the Panaji fire station, some special equipmentwas used to bring the fire under control.Mapusa fire station in-charge Bosco Ferrao, said he has asked the shop owner for details of the stock statements in order to get the exact estimate of the loss caused due to the fire.“The area was full of dense smoke. Fire fighters had to cut the metal grills and the shutter to enter the shop. Breathing apparatus also had to be used to put out the fire. It took the fire fighters 50 minutes to bring the flames under control. A neighbouring shop, too, has been partially damaged in the incident,” Ferrao said.“Had the incident occurred at night, it would have been tragic as there are 15 to 16 shops touching each other. We will be writing to the electricity department to ascertain the exact cause of the fire” Ferrao said.Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) chairperson Rohan Kavlekar visited the site.

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