No loss of life as fire doused at Karachi’s multi-storey building: rescue official

Rescue officials on Friday said they succeeded in controlling a fire that erupted in a multi-storey building on Karachi’s Sharea Faisal, adding that at least three people affected by the smoke were shifted to the hospital following the incident.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Hassaan Khan, told Dawn.com that the fire erupted on the upper floors of Kashif Center at Sharea Faisal, an area populated with hundreds of office buildings, including several high-rise structures.

As soon as the rescue team immediately reached the site of the incident, it started evacuating people trapped on the affected floor of the building.

“As soon as the central command and control [centre] received the information of the incident, the Rescue 1122 team, along with a fire brigade, rushed to the spot,” Khan said.

“Although no casualties were reported, at least three people affected by the smoke were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC)”, the official said.

He added thick smoke emanating from the fire created difficulties for the rescue team to carry out the operation but it was successfully concluded.

Providing further details of the operation, the official added that the rescue team used the ladder of the fire brigade to enter the building.

“The operation has been completed and the cooling process of the affected building is underway with ambulances and medical experts present at the spot to deal with the situation,” he added.

Fire incidents are common in the metropolis due to the absence of adequate fire safety measures in buildings. Earlier this month, a fire erupted in the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi, causing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

In February this year, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) informed the Sindh High Court that it had conducted a fire safety audit of over 265 commercial buildings, and not a single one was found to have a fire safety certificate or a no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the fire brigade department.

Out of 265 buildings, around 155 did not have fire alarms and smoke detectors installed while the status of nine such buildings was not available in this respect, the KMC report added.

Similarly, the condition of the wiring and electric system of over 155 buildings was termed unsatisfactory. Regarding access to firefighting equipment, the report said that around 200 buildings had no or unsatisfactory firefighting equipment.

The SHC had directed provincial authorities to ensure that relevant teams inspect all shopping malls in the city to ascertain safety standards in place.

The bench expressed resentment over several fire-related incidents that recently occurred at shopping and commercial malls/buildings in the metropolis.

The court had passed such directives in a case related to a fire at a shopping mall on Rashid Minhas Road last year. At least 11 people were killed while five others were injured after a blaze erupted inside the R.J. Shopping Mall because of a suspected short circuit.