Several shops gutted in Bolton Market fire

KARACHI:

Several shops were gutted and one person was injured in a fire that swept through Chhanti Lane in Bolton Market on Tuesday. Firefighters from KMC and Rescue 1122 managed to douse the inferno after an intense effort.

As per reports, the fire broke out inside a cosmetics shop and spread to nearby stores within no time. Fire tenders and a water bowser from KMC, along with rescue teams, were rushed to the site. However, crews faced challenges due to the narrow and congested roads of Chhanti Lane.

It took the firefighters more than an hour to contain the fire from spreading. One person, identified as 45-year-old Zahid, was injured in the conflagration. Zahid, an employee at one of the gutted shops, suffered burns and was shifted to the Burns Ward of Civil Hospital.

At least six shops, including stores selling medicines, cosmetics, confectionery, and cigarettes, received extensive damage in the fire. The fire is speculated to be ignited by an electric short circuit. Rescue 1122 officials confirmed the fire started in a cosmetics shop and quickly engulfed adjacent shops.