Four killed, 19 others receive burn injuries in Lahore warehouse fire

LAHORE: Four persons were killed and 19 others received burns as a leather warehouse in a crowded area of Mochi Gate caught fire on Thursday morning.

The victims were identified as Feroze Khan, Abdul Malik, Dad Khan and Abdul Wadood. The three victims Abdul Malik, Dad Khan and Abdul Wadood hailed from Quetta.

The fire started in wee hours of Thursday and quickly ripped through the ground floor of the leather godown. On being informed, Rescue teams and fire brigades rushed to the scene and started rescue operation. The fire broke out in one of the areas’ many alleyways, tangled in electric wire and too narrow for vehicles to access, authorities at the scene said. Firefighters had to make hectic efforts and battled for one hour to bring the fire under control.

According to Rescue sources, the victims were residing on the upper storey of the warehouse. Rescue sources informed that the fire was caused due to short-circuit. Since the smoke and heat made the rescue operation difficult, the fire brigade and rescuers used batteries to get inside and rescue the trapped persons. As the blaze erupted, thick smoke engulfed the premises. Some of those present there complained of suffocation after they inhaled the smoke, a fire brigade official said.

Rescue sources said that the injured persons included Zia, Taimur, Shahab, Abdul Khaliq, Attauddin, Abdul Halim, Sher Wali, Aziz, Walid, Abdul Razzaq, Rehmat, Habib Ullah, Abdul Khaliq, Aziz Khan, Akhtar and Kashif.

Witnesses said the fire took hold so quickly that there was little time for labourers sleeping on the third floor of the godown to escape. Rescue teams shifted the bodies and injured persons to Mayo Hospital. The hospital sources said that four workers were in critical condition, with many having suffered smoke inhalation, adding that the toll was expected to rise.

Fires are common in Lahore where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.