KARACHI, Nov 2: A major fire broke out in the offices of the national flag carrier near the old terminal at Karachi airport on Wednesday evening. No casualty was reported but the fire caused extensive damage to property. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately, City Chief Fire Officer Mr Kazim Ali said. He said the extent of damage was also yet to be determined.

“Actually assistance was sought by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as their three fire tenders were already engaged in the fire-fighting operation when we reached the spot,” the CCFO said.

He said that the fire had broken out in the offices of the Flight Operations Department on second floor, and caused 25 per cent damage to the offices. He claimed that the rest 75 per cent property was saved due to the efforts of the firemen of the City District Government.

However, he pointed out that in the absence of a snorkel, firemen faced difficulties in reaching the top floor. A sky-ladder of the PIA had to be used as a substitute, he said. Five CDGK fire tenders and three CAA fire vehicles were employed to control the fire. As the offices were locked, firemen faced difficulties in gaining access to inner portions of the premises.

Chief Fire Protection Officer of PIA, Tariq Moeen, told Dawn that front offices of the Flight Operations were damaged in the fire, but the offices located in corridors were saved.

He said that a jumbo fire tender had also been employed to control the fire. initially, PIA itself started the fire-fighting operation but later called in the CAA and CDGK’s fire services.

“It was a joint effort of the three departments which expedited the fire fighting operation,” Mr Moeen remarked.

A spokesman for the CAA, Pervaiz George, told Dawn that the fire had broken out in the offices of the PIA Operations Department located in front of the PIA head office after Iftar. Five-six fire tenders and water tankers of the CAA were rushed to the spot, he added.

He was of the opinion that an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire as power went off as soon the fire broke out. A press release on Wednesday night said that the fire was extinguished after two hours of struggle, PPI adds.

He said no one was killed or injured in the incident but four rooms of the Flight Operations building, adjacent to the PIA head office at the airport, were slightly damaged.

Fire tenders of PIA, CAA and CDGK rushed to the building and extinguished the fire in two hours, the press release said, adding that the PIA’s Engineering Department’s Cherry Picker and Baraccuda vehicles played an important role in extinguishing the fire in presence of top management of PIA.

PIA Chairman Tariq Kirmani has appointed an inquiry committee, headed by the Chief Pilot Safety, Captain Dara, and General Manager Security, Col Moin Rauf, to ascertain cause of the fire.