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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Multi-storey towel factory gutted by fire

By Our Correspondent
November 19, 2018

A firefighter was injured among three people in a fire erupted at a multi-storey towel factory in New Karachi Industrial Area in the early hours of Sunday.

The incident occurred within the limits of the Gabol Town police station. Reacting to the information, the fire brigade dispatched three fire tenders to the site; however, they were unable to douse the blaze.

A spokesperson for the fire brigade said seven more fire tenders and one snorkel were later dispatched to the fire site on account of severe intensity of the blaze. The fire brigade was informed about the fire at around 4:15am, the spokesperson said, adding that extinguishing work became an arduous task for firefighters due to shortage of water and narrow streets in the area.

The firefighters had to break the walls of the factory from three sides to carry out the extinguishing work, the spokesperson claimed, adding that rooftops of the nearby factories were also used to douse the blaze. A contingent of law enforcers also reached the site to help the fire brigade put out the flames. The cause of the fire has yet to be ascertained, the spokesperson said. According to the police, no clue of any criminal activity had so far been found during investigations and the fire appeared to have erupted accidentally.

The blaze caused loss of millions of rupees as equipments, towels and cloth in the factory were reduced to ashes. However, police officials claimed that no deaths were reported in the fire as only a watchman was present in the factory when the fire broke out, who informed the authorities about the incident. A firefighter and two others, however, were injured when the roof of the burning factory collapsed.