MULTAN, June 7: The local fire-brigade is facing shortage of fire engines to conduct its operations, Fire Officer Muhammad Sharif Qureshi said on Thursday.

He said the department should have at least 15 vehicles to extinguish fire, but it had only six, four of which are very old.

He said the local fire fighters were sometimes sent to other districts to put out blaze. Its vehicles were utilized even at far-off places such as Rajanpur, Shorkot, Ahmadpur East and Bahawalnagar.

The fire officer said a well-equipped fire engine cost Rs3.5 million. The municipal corporation had promised last year to allocate funds for the purchase of a new vehicle, but it had yet to fulfil its promise.

Mr Qureshi said Tehsil Municipal Officer Chaudhry Muhammad Ashiq had submitted a requisition to the higher authorities to purchase fire engines and fire fighting equipment worth Rs40 million.—APP