MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Dozens of wood stalls and carpentry shops were reduced to ashes in a huge fire that broke in the capital of northwestern Faryab province before dawn, officials said on Saturday.
Police spokesman Syed Massoud Yaqubi told Pajhwok Afghan News 26 shops, including wood stalls and those selling auto parts, were gutted in the fire that inflicted millions of afghanis in losses on owners.
The fire was caused by an electric short-circuit, according to Maimana Mayor Nazar Mohammad Sahibzada, who blamed the incident on shopkeepers’ carelessness.
Some shopkeepers said firefighters arrived at the scene hours later since the fire had erupted. One of the, Zabihullah, said: “The fire broke out at 2am but the firefighters arrived at 5am and the failure to extinguish the fire resulted in heavy damages.” He claimed his goods worth $80,000 were destroyed in the fire.
Another affected person, Mohammad Ibrahim, said his autos parts worth 900,000 afghanis were completely torched.
But a police official, Mohammad Nasim, said they reached the area at 4am and the fire would have engulfed other areas if they had not reached there.
The affected shopkeepers asked the government for compensation. But police chief, Col. Mohammad Naeem Andarabi, said shopkeepers were responsible for the losses because the fire was a result of their negligence.
Andarabi said he had received a list of damages from the affected individuals and the officials concerned would respond soon.
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