Permanent Fire Brigade To Be Deployed At Sunday Market; DC

Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Irfan Nawaz Memon on Wednesday said that a permanent fire brigade would be deployed at Sunday Market H-9, whether it's a business day or not.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Dec, 2022 ) :Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Irfan Nawaz Memon on Wednesday said that a permanent fire brigade would be deployed at Sunday Market H-9, whether it's a business day or not.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that the administration was also planning to install fire extinguishing equipment in the market. A committee has been formed to find out the reason behind the fire eruption within three to four days, he said.

The committee is headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner, while its other members will be from disaster emergency of MCI, Rescue 1122 and police, he informed.

"The break out was huge but with the efforts of fire extinguishing teams only 20 per cent of the market was affected due to the blaze,�no loss of life or injuries were reported." said the Deputy Commissioner.

He said that 20 water bowser reached on the spot timely and drenched down the fire before it could spread widely. "Around 133 stalls were gutted, while around 50-70 stalls were partially burnt", he added.

Memon said the stall-holders also needed to be responsible as the power supply in the area was briefly suspended to prevent any loss of life but some stalls had installed UPS, batteries and gas cylinders, which might ignite blaze.

"Weekly bazaars are always temporary, but stall-holders (for their own benefit) try to make a permanent setup here", he added.

Answering a question, the DC said that ICT administration had permitted the shopkeepers to protect their stalls from theft. The initial reports suggest that a wielding spark during maintenance by a stall-holder might be a cause of Wednesday's break out. "The shopkeepers are supposed to take precautionary measures during maintenance work," he added.

He said that the committee's recommendation and the consultation with stakeholders would determine the future and SOPs of stalls of the market.

To another question about fire extinguishing balls installed inside the market, he said those were tested some two weeks before the occurrence of the break out, but were not capable of tackling the fire at such a huge level.