Staff Reporter :
Over 300 shops were burnt to ashes when a fire erupted in the Pashtoonabad area of Quetta. Police sources said two shops caught fire on Wednesday morning. The fire gradually spread and other shops caught fire.
Roaring flames of fire with thick black smoke could be seen from quite far away. Fire brigades reached the spot and the firefighters made tooth and nail efforts to extinguish the roaring flames of fire.
“It was a clothes market”, Jan Muhammad, an affected shopkeeper said. He said the shopkeepers and people of the area made hectic efforts to put off the fire. He complained about the delayed arrival of firefighters.
No human loss was reported as a result of the fire. The angry shopkeepers staged a protest demonstration at the main Gwalmandi chowk to condemn the incident. They demanded of the provincial government to probe into the fire incident.
Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo expressed serious concern over the incident and the financial losses of shopkeepers. He assured that the government would properly probe into the incident.
Deputy Commissioner Quetta, Mir Shehak Baloch held a meeting with the affected shopkeepers and assured them to address their issues. Subsequently, the protesting shopkeepers called off their strike.
