50 rescued as blaze damages multi-storey building

A fire broke out at a multi-storey building on Sharea Faisal on Friday. The fire broke out at the 15-storey Kashif Centre and majorly affected the part of the building from the second floor till the ninth floor. Around 50 people, including women, were rescued safely with the help of a snorkel.

Preliminary assessments indicate that a brief electrical malfunction in the wiring ignited the fire. The fire originated in the wiring duct on the second floor. The building lacked an emergency exit.

A woman rescued from the building said it became difficult to breath when smoke started accumulating. Dr Abid Sheikh of the Rescue 1122 during a media briefing said they received the information about the fire at 11am in the morning. “Initially, we were informed that the fire had broken out on the fifth floor,” said Dr Sheikh.

He added that snorkels were being used while smoke was accumulated in the building. According to him, 55 to 60 people were rescued. Two people, including a firefighter, fainted during the fire but were rescued. Personnel from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Pakistan Navy and other institutions participated in the operation.

More than 10 fire tenders and three snorkels participated in the rescue operation. The KMC chief fire officer also addressed the media. He said the fire was being tackled in two parts, and there was a lot of smoke in the building making firefighting and rescue operations difficult.

There was no proper outlet for the smoke, the CFO said, adding that it was challenging to go above the seventh floor. He explained that people inside the building had gone to the roof were a large fire snorkel had been deployed. He added that due to the building's location on Sharea Faisal, it was difficult to position the snorkel.

The fire started in the second-floor duct and spread up to the 12th floor, he said, adding that their primary focus was to rescue the trapped individuals. There were 35 to 40 people on the building's roof, mostly women, said the CFO.

The fire at the Kashif Centre also affected the traffic flow on Sharea Faisal. The traffic was diverted to alternative routes, said a traffic police spokesperson. An emergency was declared at the Nipa water hydrant. Water tankers were dispatched to the site, said Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) Chief Executive Officer Syed Salahuddin Ahmed.

The KWSC hydrant cell incharge remained in contact with the fire brigade officials, he said. The road from the Regent Plaza to the Mehran Hotel was closed for the traffic and vehicles were redirected from the Regent Plaza towards Jinnah Hospital. Traffic was also diverted from the FTC Building towards Kala Pul, said the traffic police.

The Pakistan Navy began evacuating civilians using snorkels, said a navy official, adding that due to heavy smoke in the building, the rescue operation was difficult and the Pakistan Navy kept the helicopter option available.

All individuals on the building's roof were rescued and the closed track on Sharea Faisal was reopened for traffic after the completion of the rescue operation. Two fire tenders and one water bowser remained on standby for emergencies. The initial findings suggest that the fire broke out in the wiring duct on the second floor.