This letter refers to the news report ‘KE, fire brigade booked for Karachi shopping mall fire’ (November 27, 2023). This seems like yet another case of either negligence or incompetence on the part of the corporate sector.
Not only was substandard material used in the construction of the building but several other obligations such as fire extinguishers and emergency exits were overlooked.
It is obligatory to carry out annual inspections of any fire extinguishers installed in any building and remove expired ones. In this case, they were apparently not even installed in the first place. This incident should trigger immediate inspections of all large buildings to ensure the proper safety measures are in place.
Anas A Khan
Edmonton
Canada