‘Short circuit’: Clothing store gutted in Melody Market

ISLAMABAD: A tailor’s shop and clothing store was gutted due to a fire in Melody Market late on Thursday night.

An officer of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) said that the fire was apparently caused by  short circuit.

The fire quickly engulfed the store, which was full of fabric.

However, three fire tenders of the IMC responding to the blaze, managed to contain it and stop it from spreading to other stores in the market.

Despite their efforts, the store was gutted while an adjoining corridor, which led to the upper floors of the plaza, was also affected.

To a question about fire safety measures in commercial buildings around the capital, the IMC officer said that the fire department periodically checks fire safety mechanisms at shops and plazas.

“We issue recommendations to the owners of the buildings, and also issue notices if they fail to comply,” the officer said adding that over n 600 buildings had been checked for fire safety so far this year.

The IMC’s fire fighting department has 34 fire tenders and five snorkels apart from other rescue vehicles and ambulances with an overall strength of over 550 personnel.

Fire in school laboratory

A fire erupted in a science laboratory of a government high school in Civil Colony area owing to chemicals in the lab.

According to the administration of the school, the fire erupted in the laboratory after an explosive chemical reaction.

The fire quickly spread and engulfed the entire laboratory in little time, damaging all the properties there.

Fortunately, students in the lab were evacuated in time and no loss of life was reported.

Fire fighters of Rescue 1122 extinguished the fire but not before it had gutted the lab.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2016.