Connect with us

Pakistan

Over 1.2m gallons of water, 72 hours battle fail to put out Karachi’s department store fire

Published

on

  • Karachi’s department store fire is still not completely extinguished.
  • The extinguishing process continues for the fourth day.
  • So far 1.2 million gallons of water has been used.

A huge fire that erupted in a superstore’s basement in a multi-storey building located near Jail Chowrangi earlier this week has still not been completely extinguished despite hectic efforts lasting for more than 72 hours (three days) and spending over 1.2 million gallons of water, Geo News reported Saturday.

The blaze that had broken out at the warehouse of the department store in the basement of the multi-storey building has left scores of families living in the residential building displaced.

On Thursday, the fire brigade had claimed that they had controlled the blaze and only a few burning patches remained to be doused, which would be achieved in a short time. However, that claim proved to be false as the fire was still not completely extinguished with flames continuing to erupt at multiple places in the extremely hot building.

Meanwhile, the fire brigade department warned that the cooling process would take at least two more days. As smoke and flames could be seen emanating from the basement, and ground and mezzanine floors of the building as well as its parking area, over a dozen fire tenders, remained busy in the extinguishing work throughout Friday, throwing water inside the building from different directions, breaking the walls and digging the footpath.

They also used foam and fire extinguisher balls to put out the flames. Whereas the fire brigade claimed that the intensity of the fire had been controlled, it also expressed the fear that the situation would turn grave in case the blaze engulfed the first floor.

“We have controlled the intensity of the fire and now the cooling process is under way, which may take at least two more days,” said Chief Fire Officer Mobin Ahmed. “Flames are erupting and will continue to erupt until the affected area is cleared completely.”

The use of excessive water posed another problem for the authorities. Ahmed said that as the fire brigade has been using water for three days to extinguish the fire, the water level has reached around five to six feet in the basement, creating difficulties for the firefighters in their operations.

The chief fire officer added that the building’s foundation had already been damaged due to the fire and now the presence of huge amount of water in the basement could further damage the building. He explained that suction pumps were being used to pull out water from the basement, due to which Kashmir Road and its surroundings had been inundated.

No arrests

Although a case was registered against the owners of the department store, the police are yet to arrest any of the suspects nominated in the FIR.

“No arrest has been made so far,” confirmed Investigations SSP Altaf Hussain. He added that the nominated suspects were trying to obtain protective bail. 

In response to a question, he clarified that the case was registered on the request of the Sindh Building Control Authority. 

“Actually, it was the prime responsibility of the SBCA to inspect the building and ensure the implementation of the laws,” the officer remarked. “Officials of the SBCA and other relevant authorities will also be in the radar of the police during the investigations.”

The blaze erupted at around 11:00am in the warehouse of the departmental store at the multi-storey building near Jail Chowrangi on Wednesday.

The management of the store tried to extinguish the fire with the available fire extinguishers and then called the fire brigade. Within minutes, smoke surrounded the entire building creating panic among the residents who rushed out. Many people living on upper floors were trapped and had to be evacuated with the help of ladders.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

SFD and Pakistan Sign Two Deals Totaling $1.61BLN

Published

on

By

Two agreements totaling $1.61 billion have been inked by Pakistan and the Saudi Fund for Development to improve their bilateral economic cooperation.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

‘Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan’ is a new song teased by ISPR for Solidarity Day

Published

on

By

A new anthem, “Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan,” was issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday (tomorrow) in honor of Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Every year on February 5, Kashmir Solidarity Day is commemorated to show solidarity with the people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir.

Renowned musician Ahmed Jahanzeb sings the song, which sends a powerful message of solidarity and dedication to the liberation fighters of Held Kashmir.

Imran Raza wrote the words, while Irfan Saleem and Kamran Khan composed the music.

The song was composed especially to commemorate the momentous day and to reaffirm support for the courageous and tenacious people of Kashmir, who are fighting for their right to self-determination, as guaranteed by the documents of united nations

Continue Reading

Latest News

PM Visits NA Speaker’s Home: Pakistani Economic Data Points to Improvement: Shehbaz

Published

on

By

“Improving economic indicators and growing confidence of international investors and financial institutions is a welcome sign,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remarked.
When the Prime Minister visited Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s home in Lahore, he stated that the provinces and the federation are working together for the public’s welfare.
Shazia Marri, Syed Khurshid Shah, and Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, were also present.
The Deputy Speaker was also congratulated by the Prime Minister on the marriage of his son.
Also discussed were opinions regarding the nation’s general political situation.

Continue Reading

Trending