Fire breaks out in garments factory

Fabric, other goods worth millions of rupees gutted in fire

Fabric worth millions of rupees was gutted after a blaze erupted in a garment factory in New Karachi Industrial Area in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The fire broke out around 2.10am in Gulzar Garments factory, following which the fire department was informed of the incident.

Initially, just one fire tender was dispatched to douse the blaze, however, given the intensity of the blaze, three more had to be called soon. Keeping in view the situation, Karachi Water and Sewerage managing director Asadullah Khan declared an emergency at the Nipa hyderant and dispatched eight water tankers to the spot so as to ensure that the extinguishing operation was carried out uninterrupted.

Eventually, the flames were extinguished after the struggle of an hour and a half and the cooling process was initiated which continued till morning.

Later, Khan told The Express Tribune that the fire had erupted in the factory's stitching department, located on the third floor. He added that while no casualties were reported in the incident, fabric and other goods worth millions of rupees were burnt to ashes.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire was so intense that it took mere seconds for it to engulf the factory's entire building.

The cause of the fire couldn't be determined till the filing of this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2020.