Several shops gutted in Karachi shopping centre fire

KARACHI: A fire that broke out at a shopping centre in Saddar area of the city on Tuesday night has been extinguished in the early hours of Wednesday after five hours by dozens of fire-fighters, who used 16 fire tenders but could not save several shops located in the facility from complete destruction.

According to a Fire Brigade official, the fire erupted at a shop in Karim Shopping Centre and it engulfed several other shops in the shopping centre.

He said that 16 fire tenders and a snorkel had been deployed to extinguish the blaze.

No casualties were reported as dozens of people, trapped on the building roof, were rescued by the snorkel. An elderly woman, who fainted due to heavy smoke, had been taken to a nearby hospital and was said to be in a stable condition.