Fire breaks out: Shops, vehicles, quarters gutted

SHANGLA: About 12 shops, six residential quarters and several vehicles were burnt when a fire broke out due to a short circuit at a market in Shangla on Thursday night. Alpuri police official Arif said the fire erupted in one of the shops located on College Road at around 10pm. Since many shops were constructed with wood, it did not take long for the fire to spread rapidly. Within moments, the inferno engulfed the entire market, after which locals informed firefighters who rushed to the scene. Residents assisted the firefighters in controlling the fire. Shabir Khan, a trader whose shop was gutted, said the market sustained heavy losses, which he estimated ran in hundreds of thousands. He also confirmed about a dozen shops were turned to ashes in the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2013.