A fire broke out on Saturday in a multi-storied building in the New Chali’s generator market area of the port city and was brought under control by firefighters after several hours of struggle.
The blaze resulted in the death of a person, who was identified as 46-year-old Ali Asghar, son of Burhanuddin. The deceased was an employee in the building.
Several people were trapped in the building during the blaze. Three people fainted during the ordeal and were shifted to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The fire brigade rescued 43 people including women and employed 10 fire tenders, one snorkel and a water bowser to extinguish the fire. During the firefighting efforts, neighbouring buildings were also evacuated for fear of the fire spreading. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but according to initial reports, it was caused due a short circuit. According to eyewitnesses, the smoke coming from the burning building could be seen from several kilometres away. Fire brigade officials maintained that the cooling process was ongoing in the building after the fire was brought under control. Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and issued instructions to the Karachi commissioner to make better arrangements for safely evacuating trapped people. He added that along with extinguishing the fire, efforts should be made to control the loss of life and property. The chief minister also called for a report of the incident. Last month, a massive fire broke out in a multi-storey commercial building on Sharae Faisal near Nursery with administration officials refusing to rule out the possibility of arson and sabotage. It took 15 fire tenders, two snorkels and three bowsers more than two hours to put out the blaze which engulfed the entire highrise and were visible from most parts of the city until it was put out. The speed with which the blaze took over the entire building has led the officials to suspect sabotage. The fire broke out on the ground floor of the building, named Portway Trade Centre.
