August 21, 2007	Tuesday	Sha’aban 7, 1428

KARACHI, Aug 20: One of the two brand-new snorkels of the city government, acquired at Rs55 million apiece, failed to operate during Sunday’s firefighting operation. Apparently this was the machine’s first test since its arrival.

The city nazim reportedly lost his temper at the EDO concerned and the chief fire officer for the machine’s failure. Thus only three of the four snorkels, three belonging to the CDGK and one to the KPT, took part in the firefighting operation.

“The PNSC building fire was such that it could only be fought from outside as manual action from inside the building was impossible,” said a fire officer.

Similarly, the nearest fire stations at Boulton Market and Saddar were practically closed as they were without any fire tender, which could have responded to the emergency, sources in the city government told Dawn.

The fire tenders of the city government reached the spot from the central fire station and subsequently all of the city’s fire engines were called in for the operation.

The KPT’s fire tenders were the first to reach the spot “as it was their jurisdiction”, as City Naizm Mustafa Kamal put it.

The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation building stood deserted on Monday following Sunday’s blaze which destroyed seven floors of the building.

Actually the fire was put down late Sunday night, but the smoldering continued till early Monday morning. It was Sunday night when the firemen were able to enter the building and carry out the cooling process.

On Monday morning some people were seen salvaging their belongings from the different floors of the charred building.