Short circuit: Blaze guts two shops

RAWALPINDI: Two shops containing children’s toys and plastic goods were gutted here on Sunday morning after a fire caused by a short circuit. One shop was burnt completely, while the other was badly damaged before firefighters subdued the blaze in the early hours, said Rescue 1122 officials. At about 5:15am, rescuers received calls alerting them of a fire in two shops near the Waris Khan area on Benazir Bhutto Road. The rescuers extinguished the fire after 45 hectic minutes. However, the firefighters could not save Muhammad Tahir’s shop.  The small vendor dealt in toys such as tricycles, walker-cars and other items. The shopkeeper estimated his losses at over Rs200,000. The other shop contained plastic furniture including chairs, tables and tea trolleys. About half of the merchandise there survived the fire.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2012.