Urdu Bazaar fire

Human error, official neglect cannot be ruled out in fire that engulfed the Urdu Bazaar in Rawalpindi

Fire incidents do occur in hot weather. However, the element of human error and official neglect cannot be ruled out in the huge fire that engulfed the Urdu Bazaar in Rawalpindi this Thursday. Around 23 shops were destroyed in the blaze causing losses worth billions of rupees to shopkeepers and traders. Two buildings collapsed, 20 motorcycles were burnt to ashes and several other vehicles damaged. Several other buildings too had become weak as a result of the fire, and they might have to be torn down.

Traders have attributed the devastating fire to negligence on the part of local Wapda officials, saying the fire erupted due to high-voltage wires hanging precariously in the congested locality. They claim that the relevant authorities failed to act despite their repeated complaints in this regard, and things were left to deteriorate. The extent and intensity of the fire can be gauged from the fact that it took more than two dozen water tankers and many fire tenders several hours to douse it. Smoke was seen rising till the next day, and near the ruins of some of the burnt-down shops and buildings it felt hotter than in other areas. Loss of life was prevented due to timely intervention of fire-fighters and administration officials. Only an elderly man has suffered 27% burns. However, a search and rescue operation is underway.

Conjectures that neglect played a significant role in the rapid spread of the fire are reinforced by the fact that the Urdu Bazaar is an ancient market, wood had been profusely used in the construction of several buildings and the locality is densely populated. So there was the need for putting in place better fire safety measures for the locality. All this shows that something somewhere went wrong leading to enormous losses to traders. If the inquiry establishes that the fire was caused due to official neglect, it would be a terrible example of carelessness.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2021.

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