Mangalore: on Sunday around 8-30 at night a house in Kaibattal at Kadri in city was engulfed in fire, with heavy damage. Neither the Cause nor the physical losses have been ascertained.

Smoke started emanating out of a room and it was noticed by the house-keeping lady.

Heating water for bath with dry coconut shells the old way, may have sparked off the fire, either in the bathroom, or the roof, one of the imamates thought. The house belonged to William D’Souza.

Neighours alerted the house Keeper, and helped to out the fire again by an old method of bucketful of water poured on fire.

When Pandeshwar firemen turned up, the fire had died down, leaving smoke in the house, for everyone to cough in darkness to their heart’s content.