A severe fire on Wednesday completely destroyed the residence of Umesh Kandolkar in Bamanwada, Nanoda, under the Mapua/Bicholim area. The blaze caused extensive damage, wiping out precious wedding preparations that included a significant amount of cash, gold ornaments, and new clothes.
Family's Loss and Suspicions of Foul Play
The distraught family has estimated their total losses to be over Rs 10 lakh. However, the initial assessment by the fire services pegged the damages at around Rs 5 lakh. The homeowner, Umesh Kandolkar, has raised suspicions of foul play in the incident. He revealed that the back door of the house was found open when the fire was discovered, despite being securely locked when the family left in the morning.
"Before leaving the house, I had even put off the lamp of the deity," Kandolkar stated, emphasizing that all precautions were taken. The fire occurred while the house was unoccupied. Kandolkar had left at 8.30 am, while his wife and daughter had departed earlier at 7.30 am to visit a sick relative in the hospital. Kandolkar was only informed about the tragedy in the afternoon.
Wedding Dreams Go Up in Flames
The fire inflicted a particularly cruel blow by destroying all preparations for an upcoming wedding. Rs 2.5 lakh in cash, which had been borrowed from a women's self-help group specifically to purchase ornaments for the wedding, was reduced to ashes. The blaze also consumed the new clothes and gold jewelry intended for the ceremony.
According to fire officials, the fire originated in the kitchen before rapidly spreading to the living room. The intense flames damaged the television, refrigerator, a wooden cupboard, electrical wiring, various electronic items, and even the roof of the house.
Response and Aftermath
The fire services received an alert about the incident around 2.30 pm. Fire tenders rushed to the scene and managed to prevent the flames from completely destroying the entire structure, although the interior suffered severe damage. The swift action saved the building from total collapse.
Local MLA Chandrakant Shetye along with police officials visited the site to assess the damage and offer support to the grieving family. The incident has left the Kandolkar family in shock, facing not only massive property loss but also the heartbreaking destruction of their carefully planned wedding celebrations.
