158 families displaced as department store fire kills job applicant

A job applicant lost his life while over half a dozen other people suffered burns and fell unconscious in a massive fire that erupted in the warehouse of a department store in a multistory residential building at the Jail Chowrangi Flyover on Wednesday.

The blaze broke out at the warehouse in the basement of the 15-storey building, Sumya Bridge, at around 10:30am and was still being fought as night fell. The store is located on the ground floor of the building, whose 158 out of 160 apartments were occupied.

After getting information, fire tenders rushed to the store to put the blaze out; however, keeping the intensity of the fire in view, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporations’ fire brigade department declared it a Category 3 fire and called the fire tenders from all the stations in the city.

The fire was intense, with the firefighters unable to get access to the warehouse despite a daylong battle that continued into the night. Over one and a half dozen vehicles of the fire department — including two bowsers and one snorkel – were trying to bring the flames under control.

Water tankers from the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board were also supplying water as emergency was declared at the nearby hydrants. “Besides water, we are also using fireballs and foam to extinguish the fire, but we are unable to do so,” KMC’s chief fire officer Mobin Ahmed said. “Normally, basement fires take time of 18 to 20 hours, but this basement fire will take more time because tonnes of basic necessities of daily life, including oil, were stored there.”

Explaining the delay in extinguishing the fire, the CFO said the firefighters were looking for the actual map of the building and approached the Sindh Building and Control Authority for the map to get access to the warehouse. “We are also making our own ways for the ventilation and safe space to enter the warehouse,” he explained.

The fire department blamed the authorities and management for not following the protocols, as apparently the basement was being used as a warehouse instead of parking and no proper fire safety equipment was arranged.

The building’s general secretary, Haseeb Memon, while talking to the media, said the parking had been shown in the map when the building was constructed, but later the builder sold the basement to the departmental store owner. “The families living in the building have been displaced as this building has now become dangerous for living,” Memon said. “We were also unable to evacuate the building while using the elevator because the power was cut off shortly after the fire broke out and residents were compelled to use the stairs to evacuate the building.” He warned of staging a protest if the warehouse continued operating in the basement.

A 31-year-old resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Wasi, who had gone there for a job, suffocated to death. His body was found on the mezzanine floor. His family identified him in the hospital’s mortuary.

“He had applied for a job in the departmental store by dropping a CV,” the family said. “The fire started after he showed up for an interview.” People started running for safety, and Wasi was apparently trapped and died of suffocation as he was unaware of the exit from the store. Many customers were also stuck in the store, who were later rescued.

Six other people, including three firefighters, fell unconscious due to burn injuries and smoke inhalation. They were taken to hospital where doctors termed their condition out of danger. Residents claimed that the basement was for parking, but it was being used as a warehouse of the departmental store. “Several complaints were also made in this regard in the past, but no one took them seriously,” said one resident. He demanded strict action against those responsible for the incident.

A salesman at the store said the fire broke out at around 10:30am apparently due to a short circuit. He said staff initially attempted to put out the blaze, but it quickly engulfed the entire warehouse. The management then informed the fire brigade department.

Police and Rangers also attended the scene to avoid any untoward incident and manage the crowd of people who had gathered outside the store. Police said a case would be registered if any criminal act was found, while the Rangers spokesperson said paramilitary personnel were present at the scene and working with rescue teams to bring the fire under control.