Karachi shopping mall fire brought under control

KARACHI: A fire that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday at a shopping mall on Rashid Minhas Road in Karachi was brought under control after four and a half hours.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Muhammad Hassan said that the fire alert was received at 4:06am. A total of 12 fire tenders participated in the operation.

He added that although the building had a fire alarm system installed, it was non-functional, which contributed to the spread of the fire. He further added that the blaze began in the control room and spread rapidly.

The spokesperson said approximately 150 shops on the third floor were affected, while the first and second floors were partially impacted. Security guards were present in the building at the time of the incident, and residents of the adjacent residential building were evacuated as a precaution.

No injuries were reported, and the residential building remained safe. The cooling process was completed after the fire was brought under control.

Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan said that that some difficulties were faced during the operation due to a shortage of water and that eleven fire brigade vehicles and two snorkels were participating in the firefighting efforts.

Rescue officials said that the fire had damaged the roof and third floor of the shopping mall, affecting shops and offices. Fire was also present on the second and first floors, but with less intensity.

Earlier this month, a fire erupted in a factory located in the Landhi Export Processing Zone in the early hours of the day, which spread rapidly and engulfed three nearby factories due to the presence of combustible material, according to Rescue 1122 officials.