One injured as huge fire erupts at factory in Karachi SITE area
A huge fire erupted at a factory in the Karachi SITE area on Saturday morning.
Police said fire brigade vehicles have arrived at the scene to put out the blaze that has been declared a third-degree fire. Television footage showed plumes of black smoke rising from the industrial unit.
A person is said to have sustained burn wounds in the fire incident. As per initial reports, a short circuit triggered the blaze, the police said and added no loss of life has been reported.
A spokesperson for the Sindh Rangers, Pakistan said the paramilitary personnel is taking part in the firefighting operation and have cordoned off the area. More fire engines have been called to control the fire, he said.
The factory’s owner said firefighters arrived late despite being called in no time. He added all workers were evacuated to a safe place immediately after the fire broke out.
The latest fire incident follows on the heels of a massive fire that badly damaged a factory and engulfed another unit closeby inside the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Landhi on Friday morning.
Several fire engines from the KMC, Pakistan Navy,
and EPZ had arrived at the scene to control the blaze.
A police officer said the fire destroyed one factory containing clothes while another also caught fire. No one was injured in the incident.
The fire was brought under control by 10-12 fire tenders of the Karachi Port Trust and KMC Fire Brigade after hectic efforts lasting around four hours, the officer added. In a statement, a spokesperson for Shell Pakistan Limited said the incident occurred as a PSO import line of 20 inches diameter “passing inside Shell Pakistan’s terminal 1” at Keamari caught fire.
They said authorities acted quickly to control the fire and emergency rescue services along with the Shell Pakistan team were present at the site and “extending their support in ensuring the safety of every person present at PSO terminal.”
An official of the KPT fire department said they received information about the blaze at about 1:05 pm. The fire tenders managed to control the fire at 3:30 pm, however, cooling work went well into the evening. The official said the exact cause of the blaze may become clear after experts submit their final report.
