DIY electrical work by shopkeepers is risking fires in winter, warn experts

Fire breaks out in two shops in Gulf Shopping Mall, short circuit, poor electrical repairs to blame.

KARACHI: One of the main reasons why fires break out in shopping malls, markets and high-rise bulidings is that owners and shopkeepers normally do the electrical repairs themselves to save on the cost of hiring a qualified electrician.

“Peeling insulation and making joints is sensitive work. But when done on your own, these little things can lead to fires,” explained Wing Commander (retd) Muhammad Jehangir Khan, who is the City District Government, Karachi’s fire department consultant and the director of the Urban Search and Rescue project.

Alarm bells are ringing again after a fire broke out in the Gulf Shopping Mall late Tuesday night. The fire at the shopping plaza in Clifton erupted in jewellery shops Nos. 103 and 104 due to a short circuit that occurred in a bunch of cables left loose above the iron shutters. Luckily, there was no loss or injuries, but the scare lasted for more than three hours.

Experts warn that the city’s dense and choked multi-storey residential and commercial buildings and warehouses are at a raised risk in winter.

Khan told The Express Tribune that fires were breaking out because of the deliberate negligence of architects, engineers and builders of high-rise buildings. “They have ignored the basics of building requirements, such as the use of a required gauge of electrical cables, fire alarms, auto-response anti-fire water systems and many other unavoidable safety measures.”

CDGK chief fire officer Saleem Ehtisham agreed and said that residents and shopkeepers normally lack knowledge about the capacity of electrical cables. “When you add additional electrical appliances but don’t upgrade the number of efficiency of the cables, they heat up,” he explained.

As a result, the insulation is damaged and if there is any broken wire or joint close to the damaged insulation, it can easily catch fire.

Ehtisham said that although portable fire tenders are mandtory for the interiors of commercial premises, a majority of them were ineffective because their content was either expired or the residents and shopkeepers were not trained in fire-fighting.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2010.