Factory fire put out after 21 hours

Pindi authorities wake up to enforce fire rules

RAWALPINDI:

The fire at a factory manufacturing baby diapers in Rawat Industrial Area was put out after 21 hours. More than 100 firefighters took part in the operation, said a Rescue 1122 spokesperson. Rescue 1122 also set up a command post owing to the duration of the fire extinguishing operation. The spokesperson said the factory caught fire at 4 pm on Wednesday.

According to the spokesperson, 15 fire tenders of Rescue 1122, two fire tenders, a rescue vehicle of Islamabad administration, one of Bahria Town, and two of Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) took part in the operation. Three people including Muhammad Azharuddin, 19, Azeem Ali, 32, and Sajid Hussain, 23, were injured in the incident. They were given medical aid by rescue teams on the spot.

The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet while the cooling process is under way. The Rawalpindi administration has taken strict notice of frequent fire incidents in Rawat industrial area.

Read Final warning over lack of fire safety at factories

The administration has directed all factories to set up in-house fire-fighting capabilities and hydrants. It also issued red notices to 61 factories for not installing fire safety equipment despite multiple warnings and reminders and sealed five factories. The administration also issued challans to 52 factories.

The fire in the pampers-manufacturing factory is the fifth incident this year. The officials said only 10 out of 354 factories in Rawat industrial zone have fire safety equipment while in 100 factories, the fire-fighting equipment is merely cosmetic.

District Officer (DO) Civil Defence Talib Hussain said that there was no fire brigade in the industrial zone and the nearest hydrant is 70 kilometres far.

He said the administration has made it mandatory for factories to have fire brigades and hydrants.

The DO said they would ensure the implementation of orders within three months.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2021.