Goa, Oct. 3 -- A major fire broke out at the Curti Ponda Power Sub Station on Thursday morning after a blast in part of a 63 MV power transformer, causing losses estimated at Rs 10 lakh to the Electricity Department and triggering a widespread power outage across Ponda and nearby industrial areas.

The incident, reported around 11.20 am, led to a power breakdown for nearly an hour, affecting close to 80 per cent of Ponda taluka, including Verna, Bethora, Kundaim, Marcaim and surrounding regions. Supply was restored by 12.20 pm after emergency teams brought the fire under control using extinguishers available at the substation.

Officials said the fire was caused by a short circuit following a voltage surge, which was triggered as most ind...