Public safety: Forensic team to ascertain cause of shopping centre fire

District govt official says walls of the building have developed cracks.

LAHORE: A Punjab Forensic Science Agency team on Tuesday started collecting evidence to ascertain the cause of the fire that had heavily damaged a departmental store near Liberty Roundabout on Monday.

The fire had quickly engulfed the four-storey building of the Al Fatah Departmental Store. At least five people, including two firefighters, had suffered minor burns.

Firefighters remained busy on Tuesday as well dousing the small fires that continued to reignite in the smoldering debris.

Tariq Zaman, the personal staff officer to the DCO, said that the forensic team would work as an inquiry committee and would ascertain the cause of the fire and the condition of the building.

“The basement of the building has also been affected due to the extreme heat and smoke. Goods kept in the basement shops were destroyed by the torrents of water used by firefighters in upper floors. The water is being pumped out now,” he said.



Zaman said that the walls of the building had developed cracks at several places. “The forensic team will submit its report within three days. A city district government engineer will then inspect the building. The decision whether or not to raze the structure will be taken later,” he said. Talking to The Express Tribune, a forensic team member said that the fire had spread rapidly due to the inflammable material including body sprays and perfumes on the first floor.

A complaint about the incident has been lodged with Gulberg police.

Business activities in the market remained suspended on Tuesday. Muhammad Akmal Sheikh, who runs a decoration shop near the store, said that the government should compensate them as their businesses had been adversely affected by the fire.

Rao Mazhar, a restaurant owner in the same street, said that his business had been closed for two days. “The structure of my shop has also been affected due to the fire. The government officials who visited the area did not ask us about our problems,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2015.