Gutted: Blaze engulfs plaza in city

Cause said to be short circuit

PESHAWAR: Goods worth millions of rupees were gutted when a fire broke out in a plaza in Mohalla Jhangi in the city early Wednesday morning.

An official of the fire department told The Express Tribune the fire started around 4:30am in the shops situated on the third and fourth floor. He added the fire spread rapidly as shops were being used as storage space for leather, binding material and chemicals. It took almost three hours to control the blaze, he said. According to the official, the cause of the fire was a short circuit in one of the shops.



Several firefighters and fire engines took part in the operation to extinguish the blaze but despite efforts, goods were reduced to ashes.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Bilal Faizi told The Express Tribune, “Goods worth millions of rupees have been completely destroyed in the inferno but luckily, there is no human casualty.” He stated, “It is a four-storey building and the fire broke out on the third and fourth floors.” Faizi said, “Firefighters faced difficulty in putting out the blaze as the area is congested, making it hard for them to do their job.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th,  2016.