KARACHI, Sept 11: On the first anniversary of the Baldia factory fire which claimed more that 250 lives, a massive blaze broke out in a cotton godown in the SITE area here on Wednesday evening.

A fire brigade official said that around 40 fire engines from different parts of the city were engaged in extinguishing the fire. Around 15 persons were rescued from the godown. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately.

SP Fida Hussain Janwari later in the night told Dawn from the site that the blaze had been contained. The fire had broken out in a ‘warehouse’ with a boundary wall where cotton had been kept under the open sky, he said.

Because of shortage of equipment, he said, fire tenders were finding it hard to extinguish the fire as only one snorkel was engaged in the effort while tankers fetched water from nearby areas to control the blaze.

SP Janwari said thick smoke emanating from the burning cotton was causing breathing problems but “we salute the fire fighters who, despite odds, are making concerted efforts to prevent the situation from deteriorating further”.