14 February 2004	Saturday	22 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Feb 13: A six-storey shopping plaza near the Liberty Market was gutted on Friday. The Al-Fateh Department Store had caught fire at around 5am, but thick smoke was still billowing from it when this report was filed at 9pm with fire fighters trying to put it out.

Security guard Rehmat Ali was the first one to spot it. He immediately informed owners of the plaza and called in the fire brigade. The owners rushed to the place immediately, but the fire fighters arrived at 6am, he told reporters. "I saw flames rising from the upper floors. The fire swiftly spread downwards as well."

The fire fighters together with police and other civic agencies like the bomb disposal squad and the civil defence organization, reached the place and started the rescue operation. However, the fire tenders were unable to extinguish the blaze for many hours. The fire spread too fast and engulfed the whole building, fire fighter Muhammad Iqbal said. "The store housed garments, cosmetics and other such goods that helped the fire spread swiftly."

Dozens of adjacent shops remained closed throughout the day. The fire tenders also sprayed water on these shops to keep the flames away. However, the fire did affect some of the adjacent shops, blackening walls and windowpanes.

Estimating a loss of Rs350 million, the owner, Sheikh Irfan Iqbal, an executive committee member of the LCCI, was not able to confirm the cause of fire. "It is yet to be determined," he told reporters. However, he said his store had a good electricity system to avoid short-circuit. He said the plaza was insured for Rs100 million.

The fire fighters working on the site asked for more crew when they failed to control the fire. The district fire brigade sought the help of Civil Aviation Authority, Air Force, LDA and Solid Waste Management as well as fire-fighting units from other districts, including Gujranwala, Kasur and Sheikhupura. All responded positively and a dozen or more fire-fighting units joined the operation.

The owners, their staff and the neighbouring shopkeepers kept on trying to secure valuables by pulling goods out of the store. However, their efforts were not much successful due to thick smoke and flames.

District Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood reached the market and supervized the fire-fighting operation for four hours. Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi also visited the place in the evening.

The Nazim said the fire seemed to have been caused by a short-circuit. However, he said a high-level inquiry would be held to ascertain the exact cause.

Referring to another big shopping plaza where fire broke out on Sept 14, 2002, Mr Mehmood said it was the second incident of its kind in the locality where the need for a well-equipped fire station had long been felt.

He said the city district government had been able to persuade private developers to help it construct a modern fire-fighting station in the locality. However, he urged the traders to strictly abide by the rules for constructing buildings and install fire-extinguishers and alarm systems.

Leaders and representatives of various traders' organizations visited the place and consoled the owner of the store. They urged the government to improve the fire-fighting system.