Massive factory fire breaks out in Karachi’s Landhi Industrial Area, no casualties reported

KARACHI: A raging fire broke out in a factory located in Karachi’s Landhi Industrial Area on Friday, causing no casualties, but posing a significant challenge for firefighting teams, said a senior administration official.

The incident, classified as a third-degree fire by the chief fire officer led to the collapse of the factory’s roof from one side.

Authorities promptly dispatched fire brigade vehicles to combat the inferno and prevent it from spreading to nearby structures.

“Fourteen fire tenders are engaged in the operation and 60 percent of the fire has been extinguished,” Irfan Salam Mirwani, deputy commissioner of Malir district, told Arab News. “Currently, the second floor [of the building] is being cleared and no causality has yet been reported.”

He said the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board had been providing water tankers without any delay, though there were a few “logistical hurdles” due to road blockages and shutdown of cellphone networks.

“Efforts are underway to close the operation as soon as possible,” he continued. “Naval fire tenders are on standby and will be utilized if need.”

Chief Fire Officer Ishtiaq Ahmed also confirmed while speaking to the media that 14 fire brigade vehicles were used to put out the flames.

Karachi, the biggest megapolis and the main port city of Pakistan, is home to thousands of industrial units and some of the most recognizable skyscrapers in the country.

The city lacks a proper firefighting system despite hundreds of instances each year in which houses and factories are destroyed, and people lose their lives in such incidents.

Despite being the biggest city of the country with a huge population density, Karachi has a little more than 1,000 firemen who do not have sufficient number of vehicles or the required equipment.

Factory fires are also common in the city, where more than 250 people were killed at one such production facility in 2012.