- No one present inside affected factory, says chief fire officer.
- Official says cotton and plastic fuelling flames.
- Cracks appear in factory walls due to fire, says official.
KARACHI: A massive fire broke out Friday night at a factory in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Karachi’s Landhi area..
Fire tenders and snorkels have been called in from across the port city to extinguish the third-degree blaze at the factory, said Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) Chief Fire Officer, Humayun Khan.
“Nobody is present in the affected factory,” said the chief fire officer, citing reports.
Cracks began appearing in the walls of the affected factory due to the intense fire, the official said, adding that two snorkels of the KMC are currently partaking in the fire-fighting efforts, adding that one more snorkel has been called in.
“The intensity of the fire is high,” the chief fire officer said, adding that the fire brigade teams were working from all sides to bring the blaze under control.
He said that the factory contained cotton and plastic, which are fuelling the flames.
According to a spokesperson of Rescue 1122, the fire erupted in a plastic factory in the EPZ. The spokesperson said the fire broke out on the ground floor and quickly spread to the first floor of the building.
Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho ordered that the surrounding area be kept free of traffic for the fire brigade and rescue teams.
The latest incident comes days after a fire erupted at Saddar’s mobile market, which was quickly brought under control by rescue teams.
Last month, the largest fire in more than a decade broke out on January 17 at Gul Plaza shopping mall in Karachi and quickly spread through the sprawling complex, famous for its 1,200 family-owned stores selling wedding clothes, toys, crockery, and other goods.
Investigators had found that the fire originated at a flower shop on the ground floor, caused by a child, and spread rapidly through air-conditioning (AC) ducts to other parts of the building. The tragic incident claimed at least 80 lives, with the majority of fatalities occurring on the mezzanine floor.
