Four firefighters lost their lives and 13 others were injured in a devastating fire that broke out in a factory located in the New Karachi area of the city, resulting in significant damage to the building and its subsequent collapse, police and officials said on Thursday.
“Four people died while 13 have been injured as a building collapsed near Karachi Kanta, New Karachi Industrial Area. All have been shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,” a statement from the district central police spokesperson said.
Central District Deputy Commissioner Taha Saleem told media that the fire had erupted in the factory in New Karachi at around 7:45am and was caused by a short circuit but rapidly spread and engulfed the clothes stored there.
He added that since the industrial unit was located in a “highly congested locality”, the firefighters faced difficulty in putting out the blaze.
“Due to the narrow streets, the snorkel could not reach the place as it required a certain space to move in the area,” DC Saleem said. He added that 10 fire tenders were called while water tankers had also been called.
“The operation to control the fire continued till 2am on Thursday when the fire was controlled, and then the cooling work started. It was a four-storey building and because of some [undetermined] reasons, the building collapsed.
“One probable cause was that its structure had been weakened by the heat. Besides, there was a heavy weight of accumulated water and the presence of clothes, etc, under whose impact, the industrial unit collapsed,” he continued.
Having supervised the operation, the DC said they were “exercising caution during the cooling work mostly from outside the building”. “Only a few firemen were present there and the cooling work was almost complete when the building collapsed.”
He said four people came under the building’s debris and were immediately rescued and saved while 13 others, including firefighters, suffered injuries. Five of the injured had been taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre while the other eight were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Saleem said.
He added, “It was immediately realised that four firemen were missing and they started searching but unfortunately, they have expired.”
The deceased were identified as Mohsin Sharif, Khalid Shehzad, Sohail, and Afzal.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also visited the site earlier today and expressed grief at the loss of lives.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed chalking out a comprehensive strategy to control fire incidents in Karachi. The prime minister stated this as he paid tribute to the four fire fighters who lost their lives while putting out a fire in Karachi. He expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the fire fighters.
Sharif urged the Sindh government to provide financial assistance to the families of the fire fighters, particularly for the education of their children. He also directed to provide best treatment and medical facilities to the injured.
