Man dies, three others fall unconscious in New Chali building fire

A man burned to death and three others fell unconscious in a fire that erupted in a multi-storey building in the New Chali area of Karachi on Saturday. Forty-three other people trapped in the building were rescued safely.

The fire erupted on the first floor of the Arkay Square in New Chali’s generator market located on Shahrah-e-Liaquat within the limits of the Mithadar police station. The fire then spread to the other floors of the building.

As a result of the fire, one person died of suffocation and three others fell unconscious due to the heavy smoke. They were taken to the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

After receiving information, fire engines from the fire brigade department reached the area and started their firefighting and rescue operation. The firefighters rescued 43 people trapped in the building.

The deceased was identified as 46-year-old Ali Asghar, son of Burhanuddin, while those who fell unconscious were identified as 28-year-old Rati Lal, son of Ramesh, 23-year-old Arsalan, son of Allah Ditta, and 23-year-old Asif Masih, son of Amjad Masih.

The first floor of the building was filled with smoke and the fire quickly spread to the other floors. Considering the intensity of the fire, fire engines were called from across the city.

A heavy contingent of police and Rangers officials also arrived on the site and cordoned off the area. While the fire brigade officials were trying to extinguish the blaze, the rescue team was searching for the people trapped in the building. SSU commandos were also present on

the site.

During the firefighting operation, the neighbouring buildings were also evacuated due to the fear of the fire spreading to them. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but according to preliminary reports, the cause of the fire is said to have been a short circuit.

According to eyewitnesses, the smoke rising from the burning building could be seen at a distance of several kilometres. Many people got trapped in the building when the fire erupted.

The deceased worked in the same building where the incident happened. According to fire brigade officials, the blaze has been doused and now the cooling process is under way.

Police said that there are commercial centres in the building, and due to the fire, the situation worsened after smoke started accumulating there. The body of the deceased was later shifted to the mortuary.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s five fire engines, a snorkel and a bowser were used in the firefighting operation, adds our correspondent. Expressing regret over the incident, Karachi Administrator Dr Syed Saifur Rahman said that immediate steps were taken to save the people in the building to avoid loss of lives.

Rahman supervised the operation and instructed the chief fire officer (CFO) to prevent the fire from spreading to the other floors of the building. The administrator has asked the CFO for a detailed report on the incident.