MULTAN - Fire engulfed an auto parts godown near regional tax office in a populated area of the city on Monday with fire fighters of Rescue 1122 found struggling hard to tame the flames.
A rescuer said that fire broke out probably due to a spark soon after someone turn on the main switch, however, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said: “Though the thick black smoke suggests auto parts made of plastic and oil stock was burning, investigations would unveil precisely what caused the fire.”
An eye witness said that fire fighters had controlled the fire at around 11 am, however, it surged again on the backside at the very moment they thought it was over.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Abdul Jabbar said that fire fighters were facing hurdles in directly accessing the burning area due to no access to the godown. They demolished some walls to ensure the water cannon throw reach directly the flames but with limited success.
People residing nearby had been told to vacate their homes till the time the fire was extinguished and cooling process was completed, he added.
An official strongly criticized the way the godown was built in the depth of a small auto parts market with only one exit/entry point and no windows, emergency exit door and most importantly no fire-fighting equipment.
Nine fire-fighting vehicles and many fire fighters were busy in extinguishing fire in challenging circumstances.
