KARACHI: A fire engulfed three floors, including the ground floor, of a multi-storey building in Clifton on Sunday morning.

Around a dozen fire engines belonging to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) doused the fire after hectic efforts lasting several hours. No loss of life was reported in the incident.

The KMC’s fire brigade officials told Dawn that the fire erupted in the air-conditioning system of a fast-food restaurant [Pizza Hut] located on the first floor of the 14-storey building in the Boat Basin area.

The officials said the blaze subsequently spread to kitchen on the ground floor where gas cylinders were kept.

“The gas cylinders exploded and the fire spread rapidly. It engulfed another restaurant (Nando’s) and some showrooms and offices on the second floor. At the time of the fire incident, no one was present there,” they added.

Huge flames of the fire could be seen from a distance and the emanating smoke caused breathing problems for the people living nearby.

Two restaurants, some showrooms and offices burnt

A fireman from the Boulton Market area, who took part in the firefighting operation, told Dawn that they had been informed about the raging inferno at around 8:30 in the morning but he believed that the fire had erupted much earlier.

The officer said eight water tenders from the KMC, including a snorkel, two from the KPT and as many from the CBC took part in the operation.

“We managed to control the fire by 1pm but it took much longer to the burnt floors to get cooled,” he said.

The official opined that the fire might have erupted due to short circuit in the fast-food restaurant.

He claimed that the fire department was informed about the incident quite late probably hours after the fire had broken out and added that they had come to know about it through the area police who had reported it to the fire control department of the KMC.

Quoting the manager of the restaurant, the fireman said the fire might have erupted at around 7am and they were informed about it one and a half hours later.

He added that the exact damage could not be calculated immediately and said the manager had informed them that the property was insured.

The official said Clifton did not fall under their jurisdiction yet they took active part in controlling the blaze and claimed that no water tender from the DHA arrived there to douse the fire.

Talking to the media, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Khurram Sher Zaman claimed the KMC fire department reached the spot 45 minutes late.

Criticising mayor Wasim Akhtar, the PTI leader said the fire department did not have modern vehicles and equipment to meet such catastrophes.

He further said the KMC did not maintain its vehicles properly.

The provincial lawmaker revealed that the fire brigade officials had recently requested him to raise their issue of fire risk allowance, which in pending since last eight months, on the floor of the Sindh Assembly.

Meanwhile, Karachi-South SSP Javed Akbar Riaz ruled out the possibility of foul play behind the incident.

“So far, nothing has come out which may suggest that the building was torched deliberately,” said Mr Riaz.

The SSP said the fire had erupted early morning when the restaurants were closed and added that the exact cause of the fire would be ascertained by technical experts.

“No one has approached us so far to lodge a case,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017