Illegal filling station fire case registered

The Shah Faisal Colony police have registered a case following the fire incident that took place in an illegal petrol filling shop, located in a building in Block 3, on Wednesday evening. Riaz Ahmad Sheikh, owner of the illegal filling station, and Raheel Aslam, owner of the shop, have been named in the case. A citizen lost his life in the fire incident while many others were injured. Residents of the affected residential building hold the deputy commissioner responsible for the incident.

According to the reports, the deceased citizen had gone for a haircut at the adjacent hairdresser's shop when fire broke out that engulfed the entire building and the deceased could not come out of the shop. He received serious burn injuries and was shifted to the hospital where he died.

The investigation report revealed that the fire broke out at around 8pm when a vehicle was filling the petrol at the shop where the owner had installed the petrol pump nozzle without adopting any safety measures.

Police say that no one has been arrested so far. However, efforts are being made to apprehend the people named in the case.

Residents of the area said that they had given a written application to the assistant commissioner (AC) regarding the illegal filling station and the lady assistant commissioner had sealed the illegal filling station but after 15 days the filling station was reopened and started functioning with the same illegal activities of filling petrol in vehicles.

The deputy commissioner, however mentioned that the office record shows the illegal filling station closed, then how the petrol was being sold there?

Had the vehicle, which was filling petrol at the shop, caught fire, there would have been a big disaster. The driver of the vehicle also fled from the spot.

The flames engulfed the entire building in no time and residents had no chance to come down but to rush to the roof top to save their lives. They were rescued by rescue teams.

A person said that his sister, brother-in-law and her children were present in the building and he himself rescued them from the fourth floor. He said that similar illegal filling stations are running at many places in Shah Faisal Colony including Block 5 and Green Town which should be closed immediately.

The assistant commissioner mentioned that higher authorities had given permission to open the filling station.

A resident said that the building was completely destroyed in the fire and it was not habitable. There are cracks in the building. The government should pay compensation to the citizens.

Meanwhile, a video of the fire incident has come to the light showing a vehicle filling petrol. A sudden fire occurs during the filling. Attempts are made to remove the vehicle as soon as it catches fire. People can be seen fleeing with motorcycles as soon as the fire breaks out.