'Third-degree fire' breaks out in Karachi warehouse

Reports say fire caused huge damage to warehouse building and gutted goods worth millions of rupees

KARACHI: Fire tenders from the whole city were called as fire fighters attempted to extinguish what they called a third-degree fire that broke out in a warehouse in Shershah commercial area of Karachi on Wednesday, Express News reported.

According to reports, the fire broke out at 6am in Ghosia warehouse where shoe material and textile goods had been stored and it soon engulfed two other nearby warehouses.

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The fire caused damage to the warehouse building causing cracks in it and gutted goods worth millions of rupees, reports said.

The fire fighters were having difficulties extinguishing the fire due to shortage of water and lack of access inside the factory building, fire brigade officials said and added that there was no fire-fighting equipment in the warehouse at the time of the fire.

Meanwhile, assistance was sought from the Civil Aviation Authority, the Karachi Port Trust and the Pakistan Navy to put out the fire, said the officials.

Shopkeepers said they noticed the fire as they reached the market in the morning and informed authorities.

No casualties were reported during the incident, however, fire fighters were still trying to overcome the fire.

Last week, at least thirteen factory workers, including two women, were caught in a garment factory fire in Karachi’s SITE area.

Read: 13 workers caught in Karachi garment factory fire

Initial reports had revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit and sources confirmed that the fire spread extensively, making it difficult for fire tenders to bring it under control.

Fire brigade services arrived at the garment factory thirty minutes after they were given notice of the incident and 10 fire tenders worked to bring the fire to a halt.