KARACHI:
Several fires have been reported across Karachi in the past five days, claiming at least two lives and injuring six children. The most furious fire broke out in a warehouse in Baldias Moach Goth on Thursday evening, with the extinguishing operation continuing well into Friday.
The flames were extinguished late Friday afternoon in Baldia, leaving the warehouse completely destroyed. The fire was probably caused by human negligence, said fire officer Zafar Khan, adding that fortunately no one was injured.
It took five firefighters, two water bowsers and a Rescue 1122 fire truck to extinguish the fire.
Khan told Express Pakinomist that the warehouse extended over two acres of land and was surrounded by boundary walls. Firefighters had to break through the front wall to enter the premises and put out the flames, he said.
Firefighters struggled due to thick plumes of smoke and a lack of water. “If the water supply is resumed immediately, the cooling may be completed soon. Otherwise, it may take another 24 to 36 hours,” Khan said.
Stroller on fire
A major tragedy was averted on Monday when a children’s school bus caught fire in Nazimabad moments before it departed.
Children in the van were taken out by the driver and the locals who were present at the scene, but six of them sustained burns. They were rushed to the hospital and then shifted to the Civil Hospital’s Burns Ward.
The fire is said to have ignited due to a short circuit or a petrol leak from a temporarily fitted can on the front seat.
Read: Six children injured as school bus bursts into flames in Karachi
Shanty town, factories in flames
Makeshift huts in Shanti Nagar, near Gulshan-e-Iqbal, caught fire, resulting in the death of a 55-year-old specially-abled man, identified as Ayub.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Rafiq, 50, was engulfed in flames that erupted in bushes near Gulshan-e-Noor. His death was confirmed on Friday.
Other fires broke out in separate factories on Hub Chowki Road and Ahsanabad in the SITE area. They were immediately extinguished by fire and rescue officials.
A food factory caught fire in the SITE Superhighway Industrial Area. A fire tender overturned during the extinguishing operation, injuring three Rescue 1122 personnel, including the driver.
In yet another case, a plastic warehouse on the Northern Bypass caught fire on Wednesday night. The fire was under control on Thursday afternoon.
Boats near Keamari Fish Market were also saved from complete incineration, as was Dilpasanad Sweets on MA Jinnah Road after a fire was ignited in the store’s basement due to prompt action by fire department officials.
