Two die in private steel mill fire in Port Qasim

At least two people lost their lives in a fire that broke out at a private steel mill in Port Qasim on Thursday. Meanwhile, separate fire incidents damaged towel and cardboard factories in Korangi and Orangi areas.

According to the fire brigade department, seven fire vehicles participated in efforts to extinguish the fire -- four tenders from Port Qasim and three from the KMC.

Employees of the steel mill were evacuated to safety. There were some unconfirmed reports that the fire broke out due to an explosion in a boiler; however, the fire brigade department and police said the cause of the fire, whether from a boiler explosion or furnace after cooling, would be verified later.

According to District Malir SSP Tariq Mastoi, the spread of the fire was brought under control, and two people lost their lives in the incident. He said the police and other authorities were investigating the cause of the fire. The causalities were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and later moved to a morgue for identification.

Separately, a fire broke out at a towel factory in Korangi Industrial Area, resulting in the destruction of goods worth millions of rupees. According to fire brigade department, fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the factory. According to witnesses, the fire broke out due after a short circuit in an electricity PMT.

They said an explosion occurred in the PMT, which shattered windows and sparks caused the fire to spread inside the factory, where hundreds of employees worked, and majority of them were children. The fire rapidly spread in the factory and all employees rushed out, the eyewitness added.

According to the fire brigade spokesperson, five vehicles participated in efforts to extinguish the blaze. Fire officer Zafar Khan while talking to the media said that the fire department received information about the fire at around 8:50am, and initially, one fire tender reached the scene and then more were sent due to the intensity of the flames.

The fire officer said the second floor had a tin roof and brick walls, which caused difficulty in entering as firemen feared the walls could collapse and a chemical factory was also located next to it. The firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to save the adjacent factory.

The firefighters also faced a water shortage during the rescue operation, but later the water supply was started from nearby hydrants. The officer further said that two floors of the factory were affected. The firefighters, however, managed to control the blaze with hectic efforts of two hours. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported.

In another incident, a fire broke out at a cardboard factory in Orangi Town within the limits of the Pakistan Bazaar police station. After getting information, fire tenders from fire brigade department were dispatched to the factory to extinguish the fire. Two fire tenders controlled the blaze.