The fire that broke out in the basement of a superstore located inside a multi-storey building near Karachi's Jail Chowrangi on Wednesday had still not been brought completely under control till Friday evening, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner East Raja Tariq Chandio pointed out that firemen had stated the fire had been controlled at least four times but added that it kept reigniting. So far, they have been dousing the smoke while the fire continues to burn inside the basement, he commented.

On Thursday, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab had said that the fire — which had claimed the life of one person and left three others unconscious after breaking out on Wednesday — had been "completely extinguished" and had also paid tribute to the brave firefighters.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed had added that over a dozen fire tenders were involved in bringing the fire under control.

Speaking to Dawn.com on Friday, Chandio said no one believed the firemen as the fire kept reigniting.

Chandio said that the main issue was that the basement, which was meant for parking vehicles, had been used by the owners of the store to hoard edibles and other items.

The DC said he had received reports that store officials had hoarded a large quantity of cooking oil in anticipation of a hike in prices, which had added "fuel to the fire".

The official went on to say that the fire had erupted once again on Friday afternoon and travelled to another floor reserved for parking, causing damage to several motorcycles.

Chandio was also of the opinion that, in addition to the presence of a large quantity of cooking oil, firemen were also facing difficulty due to a lack of access to the basement. He said so far, firemen had been trying to control the smoke emanating from the basement.

"The walls have been demolished and at least 14 holes have been dug to pour water inside the basement to prevent the fire from spreading,” the DC said, adding that chemicals had also been used for this purpose.

He disclosed that 0.8 million gallons of water had been poured into the basement, adding that there was at least five to six feet of it.

The DC said that the water poured into basement was initially being drained out on the roads which had created problems for vehicular traffic. "Therefore, efforts have now been made to drain the water accumulated inside the basement in sewerage lines/drains."

He said that a case had been registered against the owners of the superstore but admitted that no suspect had been arrested so far.

Chandio added that once the fire was completely under control, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) would be asked to carry out an inspection and assess the extent of the damage to the building's structure to ascertain whether or not it was liveable.

Meanwhile, an official of the KMC's fire brigade said that 10 fire tenders were busy conducting cooling work at the site.

Building declared dangerous

A day earlier, the affected building had been declared "dangerous" for living by Karachi Commissioner Mohammed Iqbal Memon after he visited the place along with Provincial Disaster Management Authority chief and SBCA officials.

An administrative order issued by the commissioner said that “consequent upon the fire incident, which is still continuing in Chase Super Store located at PECHS Block-3 near Jail Chowrangi, the building is hereby declared as ‘dangerous’ till clearance is issued by the SBCA.”

An identical order issued by DC East said that “after receiving the advice from the SBCA in respect of plot No. 159-R (Sumaya Bridge View) due to class three blazes, the said building has become dangerous.”

Assistant commissioner of Ferozabad Asma Batol had told journalists that the building had been damaged extensively as it had developed cracks. She added that nearby multi-storey buildings would also be vacated to avoid any incident. She urged the nearby residents to vacate their houses.