MANSEHRA/KHAR: Six shops were gutted after a heavy fire engulfed a market in Shinkiari area here on Saturday.

The fire, which apparently broke out because of electric short-circuit, reduced to ashes grocery items, footwear, garments and other goods in the shops.

The traders rushed to the scene and sprinkled water and sand to put out the fire.

Arshad Awan, one of the affected traders, told reporters that the fire broke out following an electric spark in the power transmission line passing beside the market.

“We had taken up the issue of faulty transmission line with the Pesco officials, but they didn’t bother to fix them, resulting in the incident,” said Mr Awan.

The traders’ body president Mazhar Bashir, who visited the scene along with Shinkiari neighbourhood council naib nazim Chaudhry Naveed Hussain, demanded of the government to pay compensation to the affected traders for their losses.

Meanwhile, a shop was gutted in a mysterious fire that broke out in main Khar Bazaar, residents and officials said on Saturday.

They said a tailoring-cum-garments shop jointly owned by Mohammad Zada and Gul Zada caught fire. They said the shop was closed at the time of the incident for prayer break.

Traders put out the fire, but not before it had destroyed all the goods in the shop.

The cause of the fire was yet to be confirmed; however, owners suspected an electric short-circuit.

Gul Zada, one of the owners, who is physically challenged, told reporters that he was the sole bread earner of family, and demanded of the government to extend financial support to him and his co-owner.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2019