As flames erupt in Karachi, fire tenders run out of diesel

Towel factory catches fire, SITE Association provides fuel to fire dept for rescue effort

KARACHI: As a blaze broke out at a towel factory in SITE on Thursday, fire tenders engaged in attempts to douse the inferno ran out of diesel. They were helped out of their predicament by the SITE Association, which provided fuel for the fire department's vehicles.

Sources informed The Express Tribune that 18 fire tenders belonging to the city's fire department were not functional, out of which 10 were not working purely due to the non-availability of diesel. This left only four operational fire tenders for the city of over 20 million people, during the dry winter season in which fires in the metropolis have become a daily occurrence.

The factory fire erupted at a three-storey building, Sardar Textiles, near Habib Chowrangi in SITE. The flames rapidly grew in intensity and enveloped the building, burning cloth, cartons, machinery and other equipment worth millions of rupees to ashes. No loss of life was reported.

Police, Rangers, SITE Association representative and other rescue organisations quickly arrived outside the burning building and immediately informed the fire department. Two fire tenders and one bowser arrived at the scene and managed to control the flames in three hours. The risk of halting the efforts when the vehicles ran out of fuel was averted by the timely provision of diesel by the SITE Association.

M Farhan, a representative of the association, informed the media that on the request of the fire department, they had provided 150 litres of diesel, of which 70 litres has already been filled into the vehicles. He claimed that they had been ready to fetch more diesel if needed, adding that two water tankers had also been deputed to assist the fire-fighters.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Navy personnel also participated in the efforts to cool down the factory building. Hawaldar Mohammad Sharif, who took part in the operation, said that the rescuers had trouble extinguishing the blaze due to narrow staircases and the presence of large amounts of flammable material in the building.

He added that the cause of the fire had not yet been ascertained. However, he went on to say, the factory was completely packed with material such as cloth and cartons and lacked evacuation points in case of emergency.

Sharif said that the provision of diesel to the fire department had been stopped because of non-payment of dues. As a result, the fire-fighters had requested the factory owners and SITE Association representatives for fuel.

After the news of the fire tenders running out of fuel broke on Thursday, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation released funds to supply diesel to five vehicles, of which two arrived at the factory to help douse the flames. However, the fire was already under control at that point.

There are 23 fire stations in Karachi, out of which 10 were forced to shut down due to persistent negligence by the authorities, The Express Tribune previously reported. The dire situation has been further exacerbated by the unavailability of diesel, which forced the number of functional fire stations down to seven last weekend. The matter has severely compromised the fire department's ability to respond to emergencies.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2020.