BAHAWALPUR: A minor girl was burnt alive, while two persons suffered serious burns in a fire erupting at a petrol outlet that also gutted an oil tanker and seven shops at Adda Goth Mehrab on Bahawalpur –Ahmedpur East highway, about 30kms from here.

According to Rescue 1122 and police sources, an oil-tanker was filling the reservoir of a small petrol outlet owned by Sabir when a fire broke out there. The blaze also engulfed the oil-tanker and seven other shops in no time.

Sabir’s five-year-old daughter Mehrunnisa, who was asleep inside the petrol outlet was burnt alive in the blaze.

Police said the merchandise worth hundred of thousands of rupees stored in the seven shops also turned into ashes, while the oil-tanker was completely burnt in the blaze.

They said another adjacent shops that was being used to store gas cylinders was saved because of timely shifting of highly inflammable stuff to somewhere else, averting a massive blast. The Rescue 1122 firefighters extinguished the blaze after four-hour hectic efforts.

The two injured shopkeepers -- Sabir (24) and Tanveer Ahmed (19) -- were shifted to Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH), where their condition was said to be serious.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2017