Warehouse, seven shops gutted in Orangi Town fire

Seven shops and a warehouse were destroyed as a fire broke out a timber market in Orangi Town No. 5 in the wee hours of Thursday. As per the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) fire department, the blaze broke out at around 5am. Initially, two fire tenders were sent to the site but more had to be dispatched later.
Orangi Town’s fire station officer Abdul Nasir said the fire started inside one shop and quickly engulfed several others in its surroundings. He said a short circuit could have caused the fire but investigations were still underway to ascertain the exact cause.
Nasir said it took firefighters nine hours to completely put out the blaze. Four fire tenders and a water bowser took part in the operation till 2pm. He said the cooling process was still going on with the help of two fire tenders.
Talking to The News, Orangi Town Division SP Abid Ali Baloch said seven shops and a warehouse had been completely burnt. Several other shops had also been affected, he added. SP Baloch said the cause of fire could not be ascertained immediately. A case would be registered upon the requested of affected shop owners, he added.