Hazardous work: Shopkeeper injured in petrol station fire

Residents say the petrol station is <br /> unlicensed and should be shut down.

FAISALABAD: A man was injured and a rickshaw and a motorbike were gutted when a fire broke out at an unlicensed petrol station in Toba Tek Singh on Friday.

Witnesses told The Express Tribune that Muhammad Ilyas, the petrol station owner in Chak 181-GB, was unloading petrol from a rickshaw when the fire broke out in one of the containers.

They said Ilyas ran away. They said the container exploded and a fireball engulfed neighbouring shops. The rickshaw and a motorbike were gutted in the explosion.

Another shopkeeper, also named Ilyas, received burns and was rushed to a hospital where doctors said his condition was serious.

“People gathered around the scene and tried to put out the fire,” said Akbar Ali, a witness.

He said Ilyas was injured while trying to put out the fire in his dyeing shop. He said residents of the area put out the fire before Rescue 1122 arrived. Later, a police team reached the site and began investigations.

Residents of the area staged a protest demonstration against the owner of the petrol pump.

They chanted slogans against him and demanded that he be arrested immediately.

“The petrol station had been running for a long time,” said Abdul Hameed, a shopkeeper. He said some people had complained about to police but they had ignored them. He said Ilyas had set up his petrol station in the middle of a congested market, risking lives and businesses of hundreds of people.

The protesters appealed to the Toba Tek Singh DPO to take notice of the incident and take action against Ilyas in accordance with law.

A police team met the protesters and assured them that action would be taken against him.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the Gojra Saddar SHO said police had not received a formal complaint of the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2015.