Fire erupts at shopping centre in Karachi

KARACHI: Multiple fire incidents were reported in different parts of the city, damaging property including cloth, motorcycles and other valuables, according to details reported on Saturday.

One of the incidents occurred at Erum Shopping Centre in Sector 15/A of Buffer Zone, where a blaze broke out in the parking area. The fire damaged seven motorcycles and also destroyed a furniture shop. Firefighters brought the situation under control and stopped the flames from spreading further.

Two fire brigade vehicles, along with a Rescue 1122 team, a fire truck and ambulances, were dispatched to the shopping centre. Rescue personnel also used ladders to evacuate children who had become trapped in a flat. No deaths or injuries were reported in the incident. The scale of the financial loss has not yet been determined, while the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Other incidents across the city

In another case, a fire broke out in a house in Machhar Colony, Sohrab Goth. Officials of the KMC Fire Brigade said the blaze started in a cloth warehouse that had been set up inside the residential building. Four fire tenders and one water bowser took part in the operation. After nearly an hour of firefighting efforts, the fire was controlled and cooling work began.

Separately, a house near Bukhari Commercial Street 4 in Phase VI of the Defence Housing Authority also caught fire. Rescue 1122 firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze after intensive efforts. No injuries or fatalities were reported there either.

Another fire was reported near Madras Chowk in Gulzar-e-Hijri, Scheme 33, where electricity meters caught fire. Rescue 1122 teams reached the site and brought the situation under control.

The separate incidents caused destruction of goods and valuables worth millions of rupees, though an exact overall estimate of losses was not provided.