25,000 books torched in Badakhshan blaze

FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): Thousands of books were lost when a library in Faizabad, the capital of northeastern Badakhshan province caught fire, an official said Friday.

Lt. Col. Abdul Jabbar, the firefight manager at the provincial police headquarter, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the incident took place around 8pm on Thursday night.

Besides 25,000 scientific and literature books, an amount of stationary materials and food items also torched in the fire, he said.

He said a number of nearby shops and commercial offices also burnt. Jabbar said that leak from a liquefied gas balloon was the reason of the blaze.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Sayed Mahruddin Anwari, Badakhshan crime branch chief, said that a team was tasked to find the real reason of the fire and the losses it caused.

Rohul Amin Amani, the owner of the library, said that four stationary stores, 25,000 books and several grocery shops were lost in the fire.

He said that the fire caused millions of Afghani losses.

mds