Blaze leaves child dead

A seven-year-old boy died as a result of a fire that broke out in the temporary settlement near the Range area of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board. The blaze burned down several shacks, leaving dozens of nomadic households homeless.

According to eyewitnesses, a fire erupted in a shanty in the wee hours on Tuesday which immediately engulfed eight to 10 surrounding huts.

The residents managed to escape the fire with great difficulty to save their lives.

On receiving information, six fire tenders of Rescue 1122 reached the spot and started fire-fighting efforts.

A spokesperson said that the charred body of a child was found under the broken wall of a hut during the firefighting. The body was immediately shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, where it was subsequently identified as seven-year-old Yasin.

The spokesperson further said that the firefighters sprinkled water from all sides, adopting the best strategy on the spot and brought the fire under control within an hour.

He, however, said that the intensity of the fire increased due to the use of cloth, plastic and wood in the construction of the shacks.

“Eight to ten huts were completely gutted due to fire,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2023.