— Centaurus manager says blaze broke out in restaurant kitchen
— Tower management accuses district admin of lax response, moves court
ISLAMABAD: The police and rescue teams were able to bring under control a fire that broke out on the third floor of a shopping and residential tower in Islamabad on Sunday, the capital’s chief commissioner said.
Footage broadcast on TV stations showed a huge plume of smoke emanating from Centaurus Mall, with flames both inside and outside the shopping centre. The building has apartments on its upper floors and videos posted on social media showed the fire spreading rapidly across several floors.
While the police were initially mum on the origins of the fire, Amir Khawaja, the building’s general manager, told Geo News the fire broke out in the kitchen at a restaurant in the food court but caused no casualties.
Only a shop was damaged, he said.
Other clips posted on Twitter showed people rushing down the building’s escalators in panic as they attempted to leave the building.
Fire at #Islamabad’s main shopping mall Centaurus pic.twitter.com/t3JC3zcs1T
— Mehreen Zahra-Malik (@mehreenzahra) October 9, 2022
People were safely evacuated, Islamabad police confirmed on Twitter.
Usman Younis, the chief commissioner, said the fire was brought under control after a two-hour operation.
Seperately, the police, in a series of tweets, said its chief and officials from the administration and rescue department responded to the fire.
اسلام آباد کے بڑے شاپنگ مال سینٹورس میں آگ لگنے کا واقعہ۔
آئی جی اسلام آباد ڈاکٹر اکبر ناصر خاں سمیت سینئر پولیس اور انتظامیہ کے افسران اور ریسکیو ٹیمیں موقع پر پہنچے۔ ٹریفک کی روانی کو برقرار رکھنے کے لیے متبادل پلان جاری کردیا گیا ہے۔⬇️
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) October 9, 2022
The fire inside the mall was under control and no shop was damaged, police added.
“Once the rescue operation completes, the building will be sealed on the orders of the city’s deputy commissioner […] until an investigation into the fire’s cause [is completed]. No one will be allowed to enter,” it said.
ریسکیو آپریشن مکمل ہونے پر شاپنگ مال کی عمارت کو ڈپٹی کمشنر اسلام آباد کے حکم سے سیل کر دیا جائے گا۔
آگ لگنے کی وجوہات کی تحقیقات تک عمارت سیل رہے گی۔
کسی کو بھی شاپنگ مال میں داخل ہونے کی اجازت نہیں ہو گی۔#ICTP
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) October 9, 2022
The capital’s deputy commissioner, Irfan Nawaz Memon, said the tower and nearby residential buildings were being sealed until a technical team had collected reports “on the structural capability of the towers after this fire”.
The prime minister said he has ordered the relevant authorities to take immediate action.
“It is very unfortunate that this incident happened in this well-known business centre. I pray that there is no loss of life. Condolences and sympathies for the financial losses of the victims,” Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.
اسلام آباد کے سینٹاریس مال میں آتشزدگی کا نوٹس لیتے ہوئے وفاقی دارالحکومت کے متعلقہ اداروں اور حکام کو فوری کارروائی کی ہدایت کی ہے۔ بہت افسوس ہے کہ اس معروف کاروباری مرکز میں یہ واقعہ ہوا ہے۔ دعا ہے کہ کوئی جانی نقصان نہ ہوا ہو۔ متاثرین کے مالی نقصانات پر افسوس اور ہمدردی ہے۔
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 9, 2022
POLITICAL VICTIMISATION
Meanwhile, an adviser to the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) said they fear the inferno in the building is a case of “political victimisation”.
The tower is owned by Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, Kashmir’s prime minister, and opened its doors in 2013, years before the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) stalwart assumed the top constitutional office in the picturesque region.
“It is feared that [Centre] is subjecting Ilyas to victimisation in the light of the tense political situation [between the federal government and PTI],” the aide said while referring to the conflict between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties and PTI which rules the region.
Meanwhile, Ali Shan Soni, a minister in Ilyas’ cabinet, warned Kashmir government will stage a sit-in if the tower is not immediately reopened.
“We don’t wish to politicise the matter nor are we doing that,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, the mall’s administration has decided to approach a court over the alleged delay in dousing the blaze by district administration. They claimed the machinery brought by the district administration was faulty.
They also blamed the district administration showed derogatory behaviour when they drew its attention to the delay in extinguishing the fire.
