KARACHI, Oct 2: A major fire broke out in the afternoon in an old six-storey building on M.A. Jinnah Road. It was extinguished by 9 pm.

The fire broke out in a shop in the Lakshmi Building near Boulten Market and abruptly engulfed the nearby shops. The fire brigade initially dispatched five fire tenders to put out the fire.

The fire, however, went beyond control, engulfing almost the entire building. Eighteen people trapped in the building saved their lives by getting to the rooftop. The stranded people and students of an IT institute situated on the top floor of the building were saved through a snorkle.

A shopkeeper said that at one point people were about to jump off the building to escape the fire.

“The snorkel took over 45 minutes to gear up, but finally managed to rescue the stranded people”, the shopkeeper added.

Rescue vehicles and fire tenders belonging to the KPT also reached the spot to assist the fire brigade.

Shopkeepers said that fire started from the Eastern Optical situated at the ground floor of the building. They said the fire probably started due to short circuiting. it spread quickly and soon engulfed the International Watch Company and Fancy Cloth Store located at the ground floor facing M.A Jinnah Road.

President of the Gharib Nawaz Market on the Marriot Road, Wahid Hamdani, told Dawn that around 25 shops were reduced to ashes, while the extent of the damage could not be ascertained at that stage. However, the fire brigade confirmed the destruction of seven shops.

Hamdani said that the Lakshmi Building housing over 30 shops, 40 offices and several godowns was owned by Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman. He added that the building also housed “Macro Soft Tech” an IT institute being run under the patronage of the minister.

Arif, another shopkeeper, said the initial rescue work was hampered by the vehicles parked in front of the building under the charged parking system.

He said that first fire tender reached the spot within the first 20 minutes. It tried to put out the fire, but it spread to the backside of the building.

As the fire raged on, shopkeepers having godowns in the neighbouring Husain Centre were busy shifting their goods, fearing the spread of the inferno. The shifting of goods was causing hindrance to the firemen.

Mustafa, owner of the Metro Cafe located adjacent to the Lakshmi Building, suspended his usual business and offered his premises to store goods from the endangered and destroyed shops.

Officials of the fire brigade said that the fire engulfed some chemical godowns located in the building, which made it difficult to extinguish it. This statment was contended by the shopkeepers who said that the building had nothing to do with chemicals.

Wahid Hamdani, president of the market, was of the opinion that the workshop of the Eastern Optical located on the ground floor might have some chemicals. He said it was the fourth major fire incident in the Gharib Nawaz Market.

“Faulty, old wiring and the heavy electricity load have aggravated the situation in this old city area”, he said.

Two years ago, the New Boulton Market situated a few yards away from the Lakshmi Building had a major fire which continued for two days.

Kamran Mateen, general councillor UC-2 Civic Centre, having a shop in the nearby Jilani Centre located in the Khori Garden, said that there was a stockpile of firecrackers at the first floor.

“Another major disaster is waiting to happen at Jilani Centre. Khalil Yasin, another building located in the same proximity has had two similar fires in the recent past”, he said.

The fire brigade employed the maximum available strength to combat the fire. The City Nazim also reached the spot and directed the KBCA to assess the building situation due to the fire.

EDO Works, Brigadier Zaheer Qadri, accompanying the Nazim, supervised the rescuing of two women and 18 men stranded on the building’s top floor.

Contingents of rangers and area police were also present on the spot, but they could not check the unruly onlookers who had gathered in huge numbers.

One of the city’s worst traffic jams on two main arteries in the downtown was witnessed due to the Lakshmi Building fire.

The traffic was blocked from the Light House traffic signal at M.A Jinnah Road. It diverted to Shahra-i-Liaquat and I.I Chundrigar Road.

The traffic came to a halt in the narrow streets near Pakistan Chowk and the adjoining road. Commuters had to get off coaches and minibuses and walk to their destinations.