KARACHI: Firefighters in Karachi were still trying, despite a passage of over eight hours, to extinguish a massive blaze at a warehouse here in Gulbai area on Friday evening. This is the third such fire in the port city in a single day.
Earlier, firefighters successfully brought under control two similar fires at a medicine manufacturing factory in Hawkesbay and a garment factory in the SITE area. However, a private television channel reported that 18 fire tenders and several firefighters were still trying to extinguish the flames at the warehouse storing tires.
The three incidents raised questions about the effectiveness of the fire-fighting department worsened by reports of fire brigade personnel not reaching one spot on time. During the continuous struggle against the fire at another spot, the fire brigade vehicles also ran out of water.
A large quantity of medicines perished in the factory fire in Hawkesbay area. Everything including medicines stored in the warehouse turned to ashes in the fire, although no casualties were reported. According to the factory owners, a short circuit in the factory caused the blaze. The fire brigade officials said that firefighters from around the city were called in to extinguish the third-degree fire at the Gulbai warehouse keeping in view the intensity of the blaze. According to the officials, gas pipeline leakages were the reason behind recurrent fires, but the exact cause of the blaze could not be confirmed.
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