Mystery fire burns down 50 makeshift huts

Road blockade due to PM's visit delays fire trucks

KARACHI: A mysterious fire broke out in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 13-D on Thursday and burned down at least 50 makeshift huts that were set up on an empty plot to Mehar Ali Shaheed police check post.

Two people also suffered minor burns and were taken to the hospital. The fire trucks were unable to reach on time as roads had been blocked for the security of Expo Pakistan 2015 that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was attending. The fire spread panic as a CNG cylinder also burst with a loud bang, alerting the law enforcers deployed for VIP movement.

According to the residents, the fire was started by the land mafia to empty the plot of their makeshift houses. They claimed the fire department deliberately came late after the houses had completely burned down. A fire department officer said, however, their trucks were stuck in traffic due to VIP movement. He added that the cause of the fire has yet to be ascertained.

Gulshan-e-Iqbal SHO Muhammad Abbas said that several immigrants from other parts of the country had illegally established over 200 makeshift huts. Fifty of these were burnt, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2015.