Arson suspected in building fire

Witnesses say flames 'rapidly' engulfed the structure on Sharae Faisal

KARACHI:

A massive fire broke out in a multi-storey commercial building on Sharae Faisal near Nursery in the early hours of Sunday with administration officials refusing to rule out the possibility of arson and sabotage.

It took 15 fire tenders, two snorkels and three bowsers more than two hours to put out the blaze which engulfed the entire highrise and were were visible from most parts of the city until it was put out. The speed with which the blaze took over the entire building has led the officials to suspect sabotage. The fire broke out on the ground floor of the building, named Portway Trade Centre.

The building is located near where the razed Nasla Tower once stood in the Ferozabad area of Nursery. The fire spread to the other 15 floors with lightning speed, said witnesses. As first responders, four fire tenders reached the site, but seeing the intensity of inferno, more vehicles were called in.

Rescue services, including Chippa and Edhi, and District East SSP for Zubair Nazeer, along with a heavy contingent of police, Special Investigation Unit and Rangers, also reached the spot. The law enforcers cordoned off the area and no one was allowed near the burning high-rise.

A watchman of the building, identified as 29-year-old Asif, son of Maqbool, was in the parking lot on the first floor of the building when the fire broke out. He jumped off the first floor to escape the conflagration and injured himself in the process. He was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tesori and Ferozabad's Assistant Commissioner Umaima Solangi were also at the spot.

Tessori praised the fire department for its "quick response" and for dousing the fire without any loss of life. "An investigation has been ordered to find out what triggered the fire in a closed building. The department concerned has been directed to submit a detailed report within 36 hours," Tessori said, adding that action would be taken against whoever was found negligent. Chief Fire Officer Ishtiaque Ahmed said that the inferno was brought under control with the help of 12 fire tenders, two snorkels, three bowsers, three fire tenders of the navy and water tankers of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.

"The fire was put out on 15 floors within two hours, but on the 16th floor it took a little longer as the blaze continued to burn intermittently," he added. "The cooling process continued for another six hours." The night shift in-charge at a petrol station adjacent to Portway Trade Centre recalled that he saw smoke billowing from behind a signboard on the first floor and immediately reported it to his employer, Rescue 1122, and police.

"Within 15 to 20 minutes, fire tenders started arriving. But the fire spread to other floors with surprising speed," he told The Express Tribune. He speculated that the fire might have been sparked by the powerful electric lights on the signboard. Other employees of the petrol station, who also witnessed the building going up in flames, said that Portway Trade Centre was located adjacent to their fuel tanks. They feared a catastrophe in case a burning object from the building fell on the fuel tanks. They revealed that a fire had also broken out in the same building eight years ago, but it was not serious.

A man working in an office located in Portway Trade Tower said that three floors of the building were dedicated to parking lot. As many as 50 companies have their offices in the building which faces Sharae Faisal. Most offices remained safe as they are located on the rear side, while the fire broke out on the front side.