KARACHI: At least 60 unclaimed vehicles were destroyed and 100 others were partially damaged by fire that broke out in the central vehicles pool, commonly known as Nazarat, near Aziz Bhatti Park in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Wednesday.

While the cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately, police and fire officials said it might have erupted in nearby bushes and spread to the Nazarat vehicles. The police, however, did not rule out the possibility of sabotage though the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee that looks after the Nazarat vehicles along with the local administration rejected it as mere speculation.

This was not the first time that a fire erupted in Nazarat as earlier in 2010 around 50 vehicles were destroyed by a blaze.

It was 14.50pm on Wednesday when the fire broke out. Seven fire tenders and a water bowser managed to control the blaze after hectic efforts which lasted several hours, according to a fire brigade official.

No loss of life or injury to human was reported.

A fireman said that the fire erupted in nearby bushes and spread to the vehicles. Gulshan SP Dr Fahad Ahmed also supported the opinion, citing that the blaze might have erupted in nearby tents pitched up by settlers on encroached land. The tents were destroyed, too, he added.

Having said that, Dr Fahad did not rule out the possibility of sabotage behind the Nazarat fire.

“At present, the police have not ruled out the possibility of sabotage behind the fire,” the officer said, adding that they were waiting for a final report of the fire brigade. He said the police too were investigating the cause of the fire.

Citizens-Police Liaison Committee chief Zubair Habib did not subscribe to police views. “One cannot buy this speculative theory of arson, as this is beyond comprehension as to what benefit one can get by setting fire to vehicles like scrap,” said the CPLC chief.

He said the people living in makeshift homes near the Nazarat used wood for cooking purpose. There was a possibility that the fire erupted in bushes and engulfed the Nazarat vehicles, he insisted.

Six months ago, he said, the ‘useless’ vehicles were separated from the good ones. In the fire, only such ‘useless’ vehicles were destroyed, he added.

The CPLC head claimed that he would visit the area on Thursday (today) to assess the situation. He said it needed to be ascertained as to how the fire spread to the Nazarat vehicles.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2016