A fire broke out at a building near Ayesha Manzil in Karachi’s Federal B Area on Wednesday, according to the police and rescue services.
An initial statement from the Edhi Foundation said the fire broke out in Arshi shopping mall and ambulances and emergency responders had been dispatched to the site with rescue operations under way.
However, DawnNewsTV reported that the fire had broken out at a furniture market. It reported that the fire had broken out in one of the shops before spreading to the others.
Meanwhile, footage broadcast on television showed black smoke billowing into the sky as flames engulfed the structure and as firefighters attempted to douse them.
Speaking to Geo News, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said firefighters were working to bring the inferno under control with more machinery, including bowsers, called at the site.
“After the unfortunate Rashid Minhas incident, I made a note of doing fire safety audits at various locations, including at II Chundrigar and Sharea Faisal,” Wahab said.
“Right now the priority is to control the fire immediately, and after that we need to work on future reforms,” he added.
Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar ordered immediate measures to control the fire. He also directed the city commissioner and deputy commissioner to reach the site and monitor the operations.
“The fire should be controlled as soon as possible so that there is no major damage,” he was quoted as saying in a statement from his spokesperson. He added that the evacuees should be taken to a safe position.
He also ordered that more vehicles of the Fire Brigade Department reach the spot to douse out the flames.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also took notice of the inferno and ordered the safe evacuation of those trapped in the building should be ensured. He directed the Karachi commissioner to use all possible resources to bring the fire under control.
The development comes days after 11 people were killed when a huge fire ripped through a six-storey commercial building in the Gulistan-i-Jauhar area.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
