GUJRANWALA: Dozens of shops were burnt on Tuesday in the Lunda Bazaar near Sheranwala Bagh crossing, halting rail service for hours.

According to Rescue 1122 sources, a fire erupted in the bazaar due to unidentified reasons, gutting over 50 shops of cloth and shoes and causing a loss of millions.

District emergency officer Syed Kamal Abid told the media that the Rescue 1122 responded immediately after receiving information. Eight fire vehicles put out the blaze after four hours of efforts.

The affected shopkeepers said their business of old clothes and shoes had suffered a loss of millions of rupees.

The burnt shops were situated near the rail track due to which railway officials stopped rail traffic for hours, and opened it later.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2019