ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser ordered an inquiry into the eruption of a fire at the residence of PML-N leader and spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb at Parliament Lodges on Tuesday.

A statement issued from the National Assembly Secretariat said the speaker ordered an immediate inquiry to ascertain the reasons leading to the incident. He also directed submission of an inquiry report to his office at the earliest.

The speaker issued the directions to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) during a visit to Parliament Lodges on Tuesday evening.

Earlier, the fire broke out in the flat of the PML-N spokesperson located at Block A of Parliament Lodges.

The legislator along with her family was not present in the flat when the fire erupted, police and rescue workers said. The fire gutted most of the household items and damaged the flat.

Officials at the lodges were informed about smoke coming out of the flat located on the third floor of the building. Rescue teams, including firefighters, reached the spot and got the block vacated. More than 50 firefighters with seven fire engines and a few water tankers extinguished the flames in 30 minutes.

A rescue worker told Dawn that they were alerted about the fire at 11:35am and in response the fire engines reached the spot within four minutes.

The cause of the fire is yet to be established but there is a possibility that it started from a geyser installed at the balcony of the flat, he said.

The firefighters found rough material and clothes lying around the geyser that might have caught fire from the geyser, he added.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2020