Daily Times

No words can describe the pain of the parents who struggled to rescue their ill-fated children from a burning house in Lahore. The unfortunate incident occurred when a fire caused by a short circuit claimed the lives of six children, all siblings from one to 12 years of age, in the Shadbagh area of Lahore. The incident is a heartrending and tragic one. The family has suffered an incredible loss. Unfortunately, smoke and the fire had caused the death of the children who were sleeping when the first floor caught fire and which then spread to the second storey of the house. All efforts to rescue these children and put out the raging fire proved futile and left the family utterly shattered. The significant factors that contributed to this incident becoming more tragic and painful were the slow response and inefficiency of the fire brigade team who turned up with non-functional vehicles and equipment to extinguish the fire. Eyewitnesses have blamed the firefighters for this tragedy who failed to reach the site in time and then lacked the wherewithal to tackle the blaze in timely fashion. It was a tragic incident but efficient rescue services could have saved the children.
The reported facts are disturbing and should cause all of us to think about the living conditions in Lahore, which has been undergoing massive infrastructural development at the cost of a compromise on the basic needs of citizens. The incident shows the lethargy of the provincial government in handling civic affairs. Unfortunately, no attention is being paid to the working of those government departments that have been assigned the important task of protecting the citizens’ lives in emergencies. This event is another reminder that the government should pay more attention to addressing basic civic problems that can cause such heartbreaking tragedies. The incident has also spotlighted the importance of safety practices in homes. We as individuals should pay more attention to the surroundings in which we live. By being careful, we can avoid such incidents and save our loved ones. A tragedy of this magnitude calls for a complete inquiry against those fire brigade officials who have shown negligence and failed to rescue the poor children. There is need for proper implementation of firefighting rules, vehicles and equipment has to be brought up to scratch, and safety laws and regulations strengthened to prevent such incidents. We as a country need to cultivate a culture that values life, and take responsibility when life is unduly lost. *