Fatal blaze: Student dies as oil shop catches fire

LAHORE: A Class-IX student died in a fire incident at a house near Talab Sarai in Manga Mandi on Saturday. The blaze erupted at an oil shop and engulfed the entire building.

The student was studying on the upper storey when the oil depot on the ground floor caught fire.

The owner, Hassan Ahmad, had established a roadside oil shop and used to live on  the first floor. He was teaching his niece Humera Ahmad when the blaze erupted. Rescue teams were called in and took two hours to extinguish the fire.

The student was evacuated in an unconscious condition and shifted to nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

Hassan reportedly managed to escape when the fire broke out. Officials said the fire was difficult to control as the building had inflammable material stored. The body of the victim was handed over to the family for burial after completing legal formalities.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2016.