KARACHI: The mysterious fire that erupted during digging of a housing project near an oil refinery in Korangi Creek on Friday night continued to burn on Sunday with the same intensity as firefighters halted their operation on the advice of experts because use of water and foam had not yielded any positive results.

Rescue-1122 official Hassaan Khan told Dawn that flames persisted with the same intensity.

He said five fire tenders remained stationed there along with 25 rescue personnel with necessary equipment to meet any eventuality.

A rescue base camp had been set up at the site. All necessary safety precautionary measures had been taken by erecting drench from all sides to restrict or confine the area and prevent unauthorised persons from entering.

Mr Khan said they were still awaiting reports of the experts regarding soil test.

He said they have consulted relevant experts who advised them to let it burn as there was no infrastructure or human settlements nearby.

The experts warned that if any attempt was made to control the fire or stop the leakage, the fire could erupt from another location.

‘Threat to environment’

Environmentalist and climate expert Nasir Ali Panhwar said a wide variety of chemicals and particulates are emitted during fires that may harm the environment.

“These include contamination of the air via the fire plume and its subsequent diffusion, with deposition of particulate and other materials likely to contaminate soil and water, contamination of soil and water from fire suppression runoff, which might contain toxic or hazardous materials, and direct exposure to soil and water from hazardous materials,” he said.

Mr Panhwar added that these substances will impact three major environmental receptors, including the atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial environments.

“However, quantifying the impact is difficult, as challenges exist in identifying and appropriately sampling these substances during and following a fire event,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2025