Fire damages factory in SITE area

A blaze badly damaged a factory in the SITE area before it was put out in an operation that lasted for an hour, on Monday.

Twenty-two fire engines were involved in the operation, chief fire officer Tehseen Ahmed said, adding that the blaze was caused by chemicals stored in a room of the factory.

All workers were safely evacuated, rescue workers said. Rescue services had earlier declared it a third-degree fire. 

Factory fires are increasing becoming common in the city, where industrial units fail to take safety measures.

On September 25, a labourer was reported to have fainted after a massive fire broke out in a glue manufacturing factory, near Chamra Chowrangi, apparently due to a short circuit.

The blaze that raged for over 11 hours was finally extinguished with the help of eight water bowzers provided by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

According to the Central Fire Station, the fire broke out in Tiger Glue Factory and engulfed in the entire factory within minutes. The chief fire officer claimed the fire tenders were rushed to the factory instantly after receiving information.

The police had begun preliminary investigations into the incident and also claimed to have recorded the statement of the factory’s gatekeeper.

Earlier this month, a paper-making factory, located in Korangi, was completely burnt down after it caught fire allegedly due to a short circuit. No casualties or injuries were, however, reported. 

Five fire engines of the KMC were sent to put the fire out.  According to the central fire station, the Silver Paper Factory caught fire at about 4:30pm.

On August 7, around 10 shops were gutted after a major fire broke out on the first floor of one of the known shopping mall of the city, Gul Plaza; no loss of life was reported.

While the cause of the fire remained unknown, it took six fire engines, two water bowsers and a snorkel to extinguish the fire in two hours. According to an officer of the central fire station, the fire broke out in a shop on the first floor and spread to other parts of the market within minutes reducing goods worth millions of rupees to ashes.

The firefighters complained of facing difficulty in putting the fire out since it was too dark inside the building.

In 2008, a massive fire broke out in Gul Plaza’s warehouse. The fire was said to have been caused by a short circuit at the popular shopping mall’s second floor.