PESHAWAR: Thousands of mobile phones and their accessories were reduced to ashes when a fire broke out in one of the business centres in Peshawar’s Saddar area late Sunday night, a Rescue 1122 official said.

Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi said the rescue service’s control room received a call at 12.45am about the incident, after which rescue vehicles were dispatched to the spot.

He added that the situation was brought under control after 12 hours-long operation aided by 36 vehicles and 130 rescuers.

Mr Faizi said that according to the locals, the fire broke out due to electric short-circuit. However, he said that it was yet to be ascertained as to what actually caused the fire inside the commercial centre that destroyed 70 shops and over 120 counters dealing in cellular phones’ accessories.

“Four persons, who entered the centre to save their shops, were also rescued,” Mr Faizi said, adding that the operation would have been concluded earlier but it got delayed as batteries of cellular phones in different shops would catch fire and explode in regular intervals.

Mr Faizi said that the fire broke out in the ground floor, which later engulfed the first floor as well.

Also, the nearby schools remained closed on Monday due to the operation by Rescue 1122.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024