2 shops gutted in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: Two shoe shops were gutted in Raja Allah Dad Market in Shinkiari, police officials said on Thursday.“I have no enmity with anyone, and I had already switched off the electrical system before closing my shops. I have suffered a financial loss of over Rs3 million,” Mohammad Iqbal Shah, the shop’s owner, told reporters.

The fire, whose cause is yet to be determined, broke out in one of the two shoe and chappal shops in Raja Allah Dad Market in Shinkiari and rapidly spread.The flames also engulfed an adjacent shop, reducing to ashes shoes, chappals and other stored goods.

“The entire new stock of chappals, shoes, and fancy boots was destroyed because both shops were closed, and by the time locals arrived to help, the fire had already spread widely,” Shah said.

According to locals, the flames could be seen from far-off areas in Shinkiari and its surrounding localities.Saqib Khan, SHO of Shinkiari Police Station, told reporters that if police and locals had not acted promptly to extinguish the fire, it could have spread to neighbouring shops.