Up in flames: Two dozen people rescued from burning office building

Pakistan Navy and Karachi Port Trust fire brigades also participated in rescue efforts.

KARACHI: Nearly two dozen people were rescued from a burning building on Karachi's busiest thoroughfare, II Chundrigar Road, on Monday afternoon.

The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the six-storey Commerce Centre building, where different private companies have their offices. The fire department was alerted about the blaze at around 11:10am through the police helpline.

"We were told that several people were trapped inside the building and we immediately sent all our fire brigades and a snorkel to rescue them," said a fire department spokesperson.

The main reason why people were trapped inside was because it had only one entry and exit. "The old structure of the building made it difficult for us to rescue those trapped within," said firefighter Muhammad Ahmed. "We were able to rescue at least 15 people with the help of the snorkel, while others climbed down the stairs."

Several trapped workers ran to the windows and the rooftop to escape the smoke. "The heat and smoke gave us no chance to understand what was happening," said Muhammad Imran, who works at the Commerce Centre. "Everyone was running here and there and I myself ran to the roof."

Fire department officials said that the fourth floor of the building was damaged by the blaze. "The fire was not very intense but the smoke and the heat spread throughout the building and created a panic," said chief fire officer Ehtishamuddin Siddiqui. "We were able to rescue everyone who was trapped. However, the building's structure may have been affected and must be examined by civil engineers."

With fire brigades from the Pakistan Navy and the Karachi Port Trust called to participate in the operation, the blaze was controlled after approximately two hours. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Police officers said that they had not found any criminal element to be responsible for the fire so far. Mithadar SHO Chaudhry Irshad said that they were awaiting a final report about the fire, adding that a case would be registered if any criminal activity was discovered in the report or their investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.