A mysterious fire erupted in makeshift shanties beneath the Teen Hatti bridge on Thursday.
Panicked residents fled with their children as the flames consumed dozens of shanties along with their belongings. Luckily, no casualties were reported.
Upon receiving the news, fire brigade personnel, along with a heavy police and Rangers contingents, rushed to the scene, cordoning off the area for rescuers.
The incident caused a large crowd to gather, disrupting traffic and causing a massive gridlock.
Firefighters deployed a total of nine fire tenders to control the blaze. Shanties located under the bridge posed challenges for vehicle access, complicating the efforts to douse the flames.
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The fire brigade was alerted around 6pm on Thursday, and after two hours of intense battle, they extinguished the conflagration, initiating the cooling process, which continued for some time. Residents at the scene alleged that the fire was deliberately set, pointing to previous attempts. They also mentioned the presence of drug addicts in the shanties.
Some suspect the fire may have been ignited to combat rising cold. Strong winds propelled the flames, quickly engulfing the shanties. Fire brigade officials could not immediately determine the cause of the fire or the exact number of shanties affected.
SHO Supermarket police station Aslam Bhatti stated that there were over 200 shanties at the location, with around 60 shanties and their household goods reduced to ashes, while others were spared from the blaze.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2024.
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