16 rickshaws gutted in blaze

At least 16 rickshaws were completely gutted while several others were partially damaged in a fire at an illegal parking lot in the unauthorised constructed area of Punjab Colony erly on Monday morning.

Illegal construction of buildings extending on roads restricted the movement of fire brigade, though the firefighters managed to reach the said plot after crisscrossing through the catacomb of narrow lanes.

Firefighters battled the blaze for two hours however, an owner of a burnt rickshaw told The Express Tribune that the fire brigade personnel arrived half an hour late.

“If the fire brigade had arrived on time, only two to three rickshaws would have been damaged,” he claimed..

Frere Police Station SHO Waqar Tanvi said that the fire in the rickshaws was due to a short circuit caused by illegal and shoddy wiring. Fortunately no casualties were reported, he said.

As soon as the fire broke out in the rickshaws, the residents of the area gathered and they started trying to control the fire on their own help and started taking out other rickshaws parked in the vacant plot.

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Meanwhile, fire brigade personnel were also called on which two fire tenders reached the spot and firemen started work to control the fire.

After about two hours of effort, firefighters put out the blaze. During this time 16 rickshaws were completely burnt while some were partially damaged.

A resident present on the scene said that the fire broke out in the rickshaws around 6am in the morning. First a rickshaw caught fire and then within minutes a second and a third rickshaw caught fire. He further said that 40 rickshaws were parked on the plot out of which 16 rickshaws were completely burnt.

As soon as the fire started, the people of the neighborhood gathered and with their help they tried to control the fire. One person’s hand was also burnt while trying to control the fire.

He said that the burning rickshaws belonged to the poor who were earning a living on a daily basis. Some had rented the three-wheelers while others had bought the popular ride from loan sharks on installments.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2022.