Three buildings catch fire in the city

Fire department complains about minimal allowances paid by authorities

KARACHI: A factory, an eatery and a warehouse caught fire in separate incidents in different parts of the city on Wednesday and Thursday.

A cardboard factory caught fire on Wednesday in Labour Colony near Vita Chowrangi. Three fire tenders arrived at the spot after being informed about the blaze and took two hours to extinguish the blaze.

A fire department spokesperson said that cardboard worth thousands of rupees was burned to ashes, while the cause behind the eruption of the fire could not be ascertained yet.

Moreover, a fire broke out at an eatery in Binoria Town and soon spread to engulf the entire structure due to strong winds.

Two fire tenders reached the spot after the fire department was informed of the incident and soon extinguished the blaze. However, the cooling process continued until late at night. According to fire department officials, the eatery was gutted in the fire but no casualties were reported. The fire reportedly erupted due to a short circuit.

Another building at risk of collapsing in Timber Market

Separately, a fire erupted in a scrap warehouse located at Anda Mor on Thursday. Two fire tenders reached the site after receiving the complaint and doused the flames within half an hour.

Eyewitnesses shared that some gas cylinders present inside the warehouse exploded as a result of fire, which drew area locals' attention towards the incident. There were pushcarts and other goods stored in the warehouse, which were completely destroyed by the fire.

The locals suspect that a man had lit a fire inside a drum outside the warehouse to keep himself warm in the cold weather, but that fire engulfed the whole warehouse.

Meanwhile, officials of the fire department expressed their grievances against authorities, saying that they have been paid a minimal amount in the name of allowances for the last year and a half but they are still performing their duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2020.