Outbreak of fire more rampant in winter

Rescue worker terms instant geyser a ‘silent killer’

LAHORE: The rate of causalities and injuries due to fire multiply in winter mainly because of the use of gas cylinders and heaters, rescue and emergency experts revealed.

In the most recent incident, a man died while two others were injured in an incident of fire in Urdu Bazar Lahore on Friday.

Initial investigations revealed that a person was preparing tea on the first floor of the plaza in Urdu Bazar when a fire erupted, which quickly turned lethal in the presence of extensive combustible materials. The area was filled with heavy smoke, trapping three people inside.

Nearby people called rescue teams. Police, Rescue and Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) reached the spot immediately and launched a rescue operation to save those stuck inside.

Three injured in fire incident

They evacuated two injured victims. However, one victim could not be spotted because of the high degree fire. Once the fire was under control, rescue teams found the last trapped person whose condition had turned critical by then. The 25-year-old identified as Zohaib, a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, succumbed to injuries soon after his rescue. His body was moved to the morgue.

The injured have been identified as Yaqoob Shah Mohammad, 50, and Zaman Yaqoob, 29, suffered 30% burn injuries. Police said they were investigating the matter further.

Police and forensic experts have collected forensic evidence from the crime scene and recorded statements of the eye-witnesses. The cause of the fire could not be determined immediately; whether it was a cylinder explosion or gas leakage is yet to be ascertained.

In another incident, a minor died in a house fire near the China scheme Boghiwal on Thursday night. The incident occurred when parents of the victims were visiting a nearby clinic for a medical checkup. One of the children lit a matchstick while playing that resulted in the inferno. The victim, alongside other siblings, was trapped inside the house.

Neighbours called the rescue services. One four months old baby, Fakhar Abbass, had passed away before the rescue teams arrived while a toddler, Nisha Qamar, was taken to the hospital and given treatment.

On Thursday, eight persons were injured in a cylinder blast in a restaurant located in Samanabad. The victims were identified as Ashfaq, 32, Sohail, 54, Irfan, 25, Adnan, 24, Adnan, 22, Yaseen, 25, Azam, 27, and Zafar, 32.

Moreover, on Tuesday last week, an 18-year-old man died of suffocation while three others were left unconscious after they left coils burning over the night. The victims worked in the tailoring market in Naulakha. The family of the deceased refused to allow a post mortem before the magistrate seconding suffocation claims.

In pictures: Ring of fire - last eclipse of 2019

A family of six members, in Green Town, received burns as the house suddenly caught fire on December 12. The family was duly rescued and shifted to the hospital.

Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Muhammad Farooq said the number of fire incidents triggered by short circuit remained almost constant. However, the phenomenon turns different in winter with the increase in the use of heaters and gas cylinders that may supplement massive fires in the incidence of gas leakage.

“Whenever an electric button is pressed, a spark occurs. In winter, if gas leaks from a cylinder or heater and the room is closed, this spark becomes lethal,” he added.

He termed the instant geyser a ‘silent killer’.

Ahmad requested the public to take safety precautions while using these appliances so that the loss of precious lives can be averted.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2019.