PESHAWAR: In a tragic incident, four people were killed and three others injured when a fire broke out in a residential unit located in the midst of the congested Kochi Bazaar area of Peshawar in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Rescue 1122 officials said that firefighters initially pulled three individuals from the burning house alive and rushed them to hospital in critical condition. However, all three succumbed to their injuries. Later, another man was taken to the hospital, who also could not survive his burns.
Meanwhile, three others who were rescued received treatment at a hospital’s burns ward.
The blaze, which also affected the power supply in Kochi Bazaar and the nearby Chowk Nasir Khan areas, was eventually brought under control after a prolonged effort involving six fire vehicles and 40 personnel.
Rescue 1122 said that two of their firefighters also fainted during the operation due to intense heat and smoke. The narrow alleyways in the area made firefighting efforts extremely difficult.
An eyewitness reported that the water tanker initially dispatched with the rescue team ran out of water within minutes. Additionally, one of the fire bowsers faced mechanical issues with its nozzle and pipe fittings, prompting authorities to call in a third vehicle to continue dousing the flames.