Blaze exposes broken fire brigade system

A devastating fire broke out at an LPG gas cylinder shop in the suburban area of Khalabat Township, destroying goods worth millions of rupees in two shops and injuring two people. One of the injured is said to be in critical condition.

The fire brigade vehicle of Municipal Committee Khalabat failed to reach the scene. According to municipal sources, the committee's fire brigade has been out of order for several months.

Residents of Khalabat strongly protested against the poor performance of the Municipal Committee, stating that it is criminal negligence for a town with a population of around 150,000 to not have a functional fire brigade vehicle. They urged the Deputy Commissioner and the provincial government to take immediate notice.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Tuesday evening at Pakhral Chowk, Sector No. 2, Khalabat, where a sudden gas leakage at an LPG cylinder shop caused a massive fire. The flames quickly engulfed the entire shop and rose high into the air, spreading to an adjacent grocery store as well.

Upon receiving information about the incident, Khalabat SHO Shafiqur Rehman, along with police personnel, reached the spot and took part in rescue activities. The Municipal Committee Khalabat was informed in time, but due to the fire brigade vehicle being non-functional for several months, the committee was unable to participate in rescue operations.

Rescue 1122 was then informed, and teams arrived from Haripur city to control the blaze at Pakhral Chowk, preventing a major tragedy.

Citizens questioned the performance of the Municipal Committee, saying that if a functioning fire brigade had been available, the losses could have been minimised. They demanded that the Deputy Commissioner and the provincial government take strict notice of the situation.

Officials of Municipal Committee Khalabat stated that the fire brigade vehicle has been lying damaged for a long time, despite repeated requests to higher authorities for repairs. Municipal sources further revealed that the fire brigade may not have been repaired because the fire brigade department has effectively been merged into Rescue 1122, with fire brigade staff now assigned to other departments.