RAWALPINDI: A huge fire that broke out on Wednesday evening in the basement of a four-storey commercial plaza located in the busiest commercial hub of City Saddar Road Rawalpindi was brought under control by firefighters on Thursday morning.

The fire erupted in a warehouse at Shanghai Plaza at about 6:30pm and the firefighting operation by Rescue 1122 continued for the whole night and the flames were finally brought under control at about 9am on Thursday. However, nobody was reported hurt or injured in the incident.

A spokesman for Rescue 1122 on Thursday evening said the cooling process was underway in the building.

Initially, one ambulance, three fire trucks and a rescue vehicle was sent to the scene after an emergency call was received. As the fire continued, 10 more emergency vehicles reached the spot.

Only passage was shut down and there was no other exit or entry to basement where fire broke out, say Rescue 1122

The firefighters started the operation after cutting shutters to enter the warehouse. The flames were first put out on the outer side of the warehouse.

As the firefighters attempted to enter the warehouse, they found only one main passage which was shut down and there was no other exit or entry to reach the basement.

The City Saddar Road was closed after diverting traffic. Stocks of plastic, rubber pipes, water pumps and boring motors and related material were stored in the warehouse.

Serious violations of fire safety regulations were noticed during the fire incident.

According to Rescue 1122, its control room received a call about the fire in a water pump warehouse located in the basement of Shanghai Plaza, City Saddar Road.

At about 6:35pm, Rescue teams were dispatched who reached the spot in just six minutes, said the spokesman.

A total of 10 emergency vehicles participated in the rescue operation, including five fire vehicles, one ambulance, one medical rescue station (MRS) and three rescue vehicles.

“The rescue teams, demonstrating professional skills, brought the fire under control on the outside of the warehouse. Later, by cutting the shutter sheet, they entered the warehouse with the help of SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) and continued the firefighting process inside the warehouse to completely extinguish the fire and avoid any loss of life and property.”

The rescue operation was supervised by District Emergency Officer Engineer Sibghatullah who remained present at the scene of fire till it was brought under control.

According to the media coordinator for Rescue 1122, the situation was under control and cooling and search operations were underway. More than 50 rescue personnel, including 13 emergency vehicles, were engaged in the firefighting operation. Water mixed with foam was continuously used to extinguish the flames.

There was a large amount of flammable material in the building and the basement was being used as a warehouse.

The access to and from the plaza’s basement was not suitable. There were also no proper arrangements for exhausting smoke from the building.

The building covers an area of approximately 10 marlas. Rescue firefighters prevented the fire from spreading further, while Wasa was summoned for the water supply chain.

There were also no proper arrangements for exhausting smoke from the building, the spokesman said.

Initially, there was information that fire had broken out due to a short circuit. The cause of the fire was being ascertained.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026