A major fire at a tissue paper factory in the Pakistani city of Peshawar saw extensive damage caused to the building and the materials inside destroyed
Believed to have been started by an electrical short circuit in the Royal PVC Green Tissue Paper and Diapers factory warehouse, the fire quickly took hold on around 1:40pm local time on Saturday 26 October.
The fire quickly took hold throughout the warehouse, with large quantities of polythene present contributing to the rapid spread, making firefighting activities particularly challenging.
Speaking to the news outlet Dawn, a spokesperson for the rescue services, Bilal Faizi, explained that such was the ferocity of the blaze, a total of 30 appliances and over 100 personnel were called upon, with local firefighters calling for support from nearby districts.
“Firefighters and fire engines from Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts also worked to extinguish the fire”, adding that “rescue workers tried to control the blaze with foam and water”.
The size and complexity of the incident resulted in firefighting efforts continuing for a day before the fire was able to be contained, with 18 rescue personnel requiring medical treatment due to the heat and smoke. With a workforce of over 1,300, rescue officials reported that there were fortunately no other casualties in the incident.
The fire has caused significant damage to the factory building, with the roof collapsing due to the heat and extensive use of water, and combined losses have been estimated at over Rs5 billion.
Following the incident, an official from the provincial ministry for industry, Adbul Karim, announced that there would an inquiry into the cause and circumstances of the fire, with the presence of chemicals in the factory contributing to the intensity of the fire and detrimentally impacting the efforts of the firefighters and rescue services.