A major fire erupted in Central Model School at Rati Gun road on Monday, resulting in loss of Election Commission's material. Fire brigade team reached the school for extinguishing the while the school was evacuated. According to reports, the fire erupted in the basement of school building where Election Commission of Pakistan's record was stored. The whole of the record was destroyed by fire.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday clarified that material of vital importance was stored in school where fire broke out. "The material stored in the basement of the government school was not used," ECP Deputy Director Abdul Hameed claimed. "The material for general elections was not affected," Hameed said, adding, "The material stored in the basement was for the upcoming by-elections and local bodies elections."
The deputy director further said it was routine to store election material in government schools and permission was sought from the Punjab government in this regard. "The commission had been using the basement for storage purposes temporarily." Hameed stated the commission was estimating the losses caused to their material by the fire and will inquire into the incident. Rescue 1122 workers managed to extinguish the fire. School staff and students were evacuated soon after the fire broke out and sent home.