2 injured, as many shops gutted as gas cylinder catches fire

KABUL (Pajhwok): Two people were injured and as many shops gutted in a fire that erupted in the Taimani area of the capital Kabul on Wednesday, an eyewitness said.

The fire that took place 7:50am was linked to the carelessness of a gas-selling shopkeeper, said Nazir Ahmad, whose hands were burnt in the incident.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News: “I came here to refill my gas cylinder. The shopkeeper was checking a gas balloon with a cigarette lighter. Suddenly one gas cylinder caught fire.”

Ahmad said his car, parked beside the shop, was also partially damaged as result of the explosion.The shopkeeper was also injured and shifted to hospital for treatment.

Mohammad Kabir, firefighting department chief for the fourth police district, said a second shop was also torched. A loss of nearly 100,000 afghanis was inflicted on shop owners, he reckoned.

He said the firefighters, informed at around 7:58am, arrived in the area at 8:03am. The fire was extinguished in time, otherwise it could have damaged nearby shops, he added.

mds/mud