Timber market fire: As the dust settles, victims try to come to terms with losses

KARACHI:

Karachi's timber market has perished. The once bustling centre where people from all over the country came to procure wood and other products for furniture and handicrafts has simply burnt to the ground.

The shops that once provided sustenance to the families of their owners as well as the daily-wage labourers are no more - standing in their wake are the burned facades of buildings that were strong enough to withstand the fire and the rubble. The destruction has left behind a stench so strong you can hardly stand it for more than a few minutes.

But stand they must - the residents and the shop owners who have been scouring the remains for something, anything, they can salvage.



That fateful Saturday night, a fire erupted in one of the 800 shops in the timber market at Old Haji Camp. Refusing to be tamed, the fire spread quickly along the narrow streets, ultimately destroying 250 shops, 50 warehouses and 18 residential buildings comprising 42 apartments.

"These were our only assets," wept Ali Muhammad, who was desperately digging the debris that lay where his shop had been until Saturday. "When the fire broke out, we immediately made an announcement from the mosque's loudspeakers to warn the residents and shopkeepers to evacuate," he said.

By Monday morning, politicians and rescue workers had established their camps in the area. A large number of fire brigade vehicles, along with private water tankers, were still deployed in the area although there was no fire left to put out. Meanwhile, politicians, the likes of Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Babar Ghauri and Pakistan Peoples Party's Sania Naz Baloch hovered around the media vans, hoping for some coverage and photo-op sessions among the debris.

"They are just blaming each other now," said another resident, Anwar Shah, whose house had been ravaged. Shah lost all his life's earnings, including whatever he had saved for his daughters' dowry. "If these people sincerely cared for us, they would actually be doing something instead of roaming around here," he said.

Another shop owner, Abdul Mateen, who had helplessly watched the fire engulf his shop, pointed out where the fire had started. "It was a very small fire initially, and had the first fire tender not been two hours late, a lot of this could have been avoided."

Assessing the losses

At Soomra Gali, the Timber Merchants' Group, the association that represents the shopkeepers of the market had also established their camp. Accompanying them were office bearers and senior officials of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

At this camp, the representatives briefed the media regarding the losses incurred in the devastating fire. Yousuf Soomra, the president of the Timber Merchant Group, said that at the moment, they could assess the damage to be aroundRs3 billion. He repeated his stance that had the fire tenders arrived on time, the fire could have been controlled. "The fire brigade department is a failed entity and the government must reconsider its viability," he added.

"We have requested federal and Sindh governments to compensate the shopkeepers who are tax payers and respectful citizens of the country," he added.

When asked about the insurance, Yousuf Somroo admitted that none of the shops or homes were insured, while the documents of almost all the businesses had perished in the fire. He also requested political parties to avoid making it a political issue and make efforts for the relief of hundreds of shopkeepers and residents of the timber market.

The group's former president, Abdul Aziz Yaqub, said they had constituted a committee, comprising members of the KCCI, to assess the losses. He urged the government to compensate the victims as soon as possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2014.