Surging fires: Six workers injured in shoe factory fire

Official says firefighting weakest wing of Rescue 1122

LAHORE: Six workers were injured when a fire broke out in a shoe factory near Khaki Stop, Sheikhupura Road on Thursday.

Rescue officials said a fire broke out early in the morning. Neighbours called the fire brigade when they failed to control the fire. Rescue team extinguished fire and shifted the injured to Mayo Hospital for treatment.

In another fire incident, two men including a firefighter were injured inside a madrassah near Karim Market.

A firefighter identified as Yamin Badar was injured in an attempt to extinguish fire. He was admitted to a nearby hospital and was discharged after treatment.



Last week, three minor girls were burnt alive in Missri Shah area. Two weeks ago seven workers employed on Orange Line Metro Train died in an incident of fire in a building. A month ago, a couple and three children had died in an incident of fire in Kot Lakhpat. Around two months ago three workers were burnt alive in an accidental fire in a factory on Ravi Road.

Data available with The Express Tribune showed that over 3,390 fire incidents occurred in Lahore last year. As many as 26 people died and 219 received burn injuries in these incidents. It is estimated that property and valuables worth Rs910.97 million were damaged.

Last year, 13,718 incidents of fire were reported in Punjab in which 72 people died and 891 received burn injuries. The damages to property and valuables have been estimated at Rs24,656 million in the province last year.

On condition of anonymity, a senior officer of Rescue 1122 said there were many reasons behind such huge losses including violating building bylaws, irresponsible behaviour of citizens and also the weak capacity of the emergency service to tackle fire incidents. He admitted firefighting was the weakest wing of Rescue 1122.

The organisation was initially started as a medical emergency response service. In its very nascent stage, its head who was ‘ambitious’ in his plans and was a doctor by profession, also introduced firefighting services of Rescue 1122.

The firefighting service was introduced but capacity building for the purpose remained always neglected. The firefighters have remained even without proper technical gear to perform their duty.

Some technical blunders were also made which also contributed to the poor performance of the firefighting wing. One such example is that fire engines were modified on wrong lines.

The diameter of water hose was reduced from 2.5 inches to 1.5 inches which failed to produce a heavy thrust to reach the base of fire.

There have been several occasions when Rescue 1122 failed miserably to perform. The emergency service not only failed to save lives and properties of citizens but also its firefighters suffered injuries or died in incidents like Gakharh Plaza fire, fire in plaza of Lahore Development Authority and fire in Anarkali.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2017.