Garment factory catches fire in Karachi

Fire department managed to control the blaze after four hours and stop its spread

KARACHI: A garment factory in Kangoli Compound, Sector 12A of New Karachi Industrial Area, caught fire early Sunday morning. Within a short span of time, the fire gained intensity and the machines, fabrics and garments were burnt to ashes. After four hours of struggle, the fire department managed to extinguish the fire and started the cooling process which took several more hours.

As soon as the police, rescue agencies and the locals received a complaint of the incident, they reached the site and immediately sought the help of the fire department.

New Karachi Fire Station In-charge Mehboobur Rehman said that the fire department received news about the fire at seven in the morning. The fire department's staff reached the place of the incident immediately and were successful in extinguishing the blaze in four hours. They also managed to restrict the spread of the fire and thus saved other factories from the threat.

Staff from eight fire stations participated in the operation. They also made use of fire tenders.

On the directives of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director Asadullah Khan, an emergency was enforced on the hydrants at Sakhi Hassan and NIPA and water tankers removed from the hydrants so that all water could be diverted to the fire tenders without interruption. The officials of KWSB's hydrant cell reached the site and instructed that the water supply to the fire bowsers be continued until the fire was completely extinguished.

Fortunately, no loss of life has been reported in the incident, said Rehman.

He said that the fire started in the stitching department on the ground floor and burnt all the goods stored there. He maintained, however, that the total loss could not be ascertained as yet and added that the reason for the fire couldn't be determined yet.