11 fires erupt in 20 hours across city

At least four people die, goods worth millions of rupees destroyed in blazes

LAHORE: Fatal fire continued claiming lives and destroying properties in the year 2020 as in the very first 20 hours of the near year at least 11 fire cases were reported in the metropolis.

The second day of the year started with even more tragic happening as on Thursday at least four labourers died and over 20 others were injured after a fire broke out in a warehouse in a leather market, Mochi Gate.

SP City Safdar Raza Kazmi said initial investigations suggested that the fire resulted because of short-circuiting. The deceased have been identified as Abdul Wadood, Daad Khan, Abdul Malik and Feroz Khan. At least three people were admitted to a local hospital in critical condition.

The incident resulted in a three-storey building. The warehouse was on the first floor. It had a lot of combustible material including leather, plastic and clothes. Sources said the fire broke out in it reportedly due to short-circuit.

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In no time, it grew out into a huge fire due to the availability of a large quantity of combustion material.

The victims were living in nearby areas on the upper floors of the building. They were stuck due to fire and were gruesomely affected due to fire and smoke.

Nearby people called the rescue team. At least 12 teams of Rescue 1122 responded to the case. It took them at least four to five hours to control the blaze. The authorities were investigating to dig out the exact cause of the fire.

During the day, at least two people were left injured in Marghazar colony. Separately, in the afternoon in Green Town, a 55-year-old woman identified Nargis Bibi, a resident of Peer Kalan, died in an incident of fire. She had just returned from the hospital after treatment. The family made her sit beside an electric heater and left to deal with their daily chores. The victim meanwhile fainted and her arms were burnt due to the heat.

The gravity of the issue can be gauged from a few tragic incidents of causalities and injuries caused by fire during last week only of the year in the provincial capital. In an incident in Lotty Ada, a 35-year-old mother named Rukhsana along with his 05-year-old son Bilal was burnt alive in their home in Lorry Ada. In another fire incident on Saturday night, six members of a family were left injured in Allied School Bilal Dhobhi Ghat. In yet another case a 22-year-old man died in yet another accidental blaze in Urdu Bazaar, Lahore.

Another highly tragic fire case that happened during the last week of the year claimed the life of a six-month-old baby in Gujjarpura. A citizen, identified as Ghulam Abbas, had reportedly left his house to buy medicines with his wife leaving behind their children at home. They accidentally left the stove lit causing a house fire. The neighbours and rescuers were able to save four children by breaking windows while a baby, Qamar Abbas, suffocated to death. Two children also sustained minor injuries in the mishap.

In the Gujjarpura incident of an infant’s death, the parents were found guilty of criminal negligence by leaving children unattended and a lit stove that caused the deadly inferno.

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In the Urdu Bazar incident, gas leakage is also a human mistake to a certain extent. Even the cylinder blast in the restaurant in Naulakha could have been prevented through conscientiousness.

Turning off heaters and cylinders at night are the basics that are often ignored. In some instances, curtains or clothes caught fire that engulfed and destroyed the entire house.

Moreover, fires caused by gas leakage are quite common. Citizens should not discount precautionary measures while using appliances and equipment to prevent loss of life and property.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2020.