From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: At least three people died and the two got injured when a six-storey apartment building in Karachi’s FB Area near Ayesha Manzil — which remains very busy throughout the day — caught fire Wednesday, with residents of the building present inside at the time of the incident.
Initially, a shop caught fire as a result of a short circuit, but the flames later spread to other shops that were part of the furniture market situated under the building. The blaze spread rapidly and soon engulfed the entire building comprising 250 shops and 450 apartments, creating panic among the dwellers.
However, the building was completely evacuated within two hours, as the Fire Department teams reached to the site and acted swiftly to douse the blaze after it was reported.
During the rescue operation, a man with severe burns was taken out of the building, while Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed that as many as two people were injured in the fire incident. Director Rescue 1122 Sindh Abid Shaikh, talking to Geo News, said: “Maximum people have been evacuated. The fire extinguishing operation is still underway. The fire is of the third category, which has engulfed the entire building.”
The affected building has a total of two commercial floors — ground and mezzanine — and the four floors at the top are residential.
Later, Wahab, when he reached the site said three people who had lost their lives could not be identified. He added that an investigation would be launched to see what led to such a massive fire.
As per Rescue 1122, over 300 people have been evacuated. The rescue service also expressed the fear of building collapse due to the high intensity of the fire.
Though the fire was partially doused, a search operation was still underway at the site of the incident.
This is the latest massive fire incident that took place in less than two weeks in the port city, with a fire tearing through a shopping mall situated on Rashid Minhas Road on November 25, killing at least 11 people and injuring several others.
Fire safety measures are overlooked in several apartment complexes that are in the metropolis which houses nearly 20 million, with reports revealing that around 12,000-15,000 losing their lives in fires across the country.
The Rashid Minhas Road fire prompted the authorities to conduct a fire safety audit across several buildings in Karachi, but as it was underway, the Ayesha Manzil fire in the Federal B Area erupted.
