KARACHI: A huge fire broke out in a chemical factory in Gulshan-i-Maymar on Thursday evening, according to officials.

The fire erupted at around 5pm in phase-II of the locality.

Initially, a few fire engines were sent to put out the fire but after some time more fire engines were called in from across the city as it was declared a third degree blaze.

As many as 12 fire engines were busy in controlling the fire till late Thursday night.

Firefighters have also sought help from around 10-12 private water tankers to meet a shortage of water, said fire official Ghulam Yasin.

So far, no loss of life or injury to any human was reported.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal directed the police concerned to provide every possible help to firefighters and get the roads leading to the factory cleared.

SITE area

Earlier in the day, a fire erupted in a warehouse, where used clothes were stored, in the SITEarea near Paracha Chowk.

Three fire engines managed to control the fire, after hectic efforts lasting over three hours, which caused a huge financial loss.

An official from the fire department told Dawn that the city is experiencing windy weather these days which spreads fire fast and makes the job of firefighters difficult.

He added, “Had there been no winds, the situation would have been brought under control much earlier and the damage could have been minimised.”

Nazimabad No 4

In the early hours of Thursday morning, at around 5am, a cardboard factory in Nazimabad No 4 caught fire.

It was extinguished after hectic efforts lasting several hours, according to officials.

After realising the gravity of the situation, six fire engines and a water tender were sent to meet any eventuality.

The firemen managed to control the blaze by 3:30pm, a fire official said.

The fire badly damaged the factory building, destroyed its dying machine and other equipment.

However, the exact estimation of loss and cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately, added the fireman.

“We are working on calculating the loss and it will soon be detemined,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2018