KARACHI, Nov 7: Three major fire incidents caused substantial financial loss to commercial concerns in the city on Monday. However, no casualty was reported, rescue officials said.

In the first fire incident on early Monday morning, fire erupted in the offices of a construction firm housed at the fifth floor of the Panorama Centre in Saddar.

The fire, which spread quickly on the entire floor, gutted the entire office furniture, record and valuables of the D Baloch Construction and Engineering Company, before it could be controlled.

The fire department suspected some foul-play behind the fire, as they ruled out electrical short-circuit as a probable cause of the fire.

Earlier on Sunday, a similar fire had caused only 10 per cent damage to the office, as it was extinguished successfully, said Kazim Ali, the chief fire officer.

Ten fire tenders took part in the fire-fighting operation which lasted several hours.

This well-furnished office was established six months ago and was working on important projects, like Lyari Expressway, sources said.

Later in the day, another fire broke out in a godown of old tyres at Lea Market.

A fire department spokesman said around 4,000 tyres were dumped in the godown, out of which 1,000 were gutted in the fire. The fire caused thick smoke which troubled people in the densely-populated locality of Lee Market.

Nine fire tenders were employed to put out the fire.

In yet another incident of fire, a godown containing plastic toys was gutted when fire broke out on Monday.

The incident occurred at New Challi. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately.

Six fire tenders took part in the rescue operation.

ACCIDENT: Two children of a political activist died and the couple was injured in a road accident on Abul Hasan Isphani Road late Sunday night.

Police said that General Secretary of the PPP women wing, Shehlla Raza was going in a taxi with her husband and two children when the vehicle plunged into a drain near Memon Bara Market on Isphani Road.

The road is undergoing re-carpeting these days. Couple’s elder daughter, Aks Batool, 13, died on Sunday night while their son Shayan, 11, succumbed to his wounds on Monday. The injured were taken to Petal Hospital and were shifted to the Ziauddin Hospital later in the night. The taxi driver and the couple suffered injuries in the accident.

KILLED: A young man was killed by unknown persons in Sharifabad on Monday. Police said that the body of a young man was recovered at the terminus of 5-D bus early Monday morning.

The body which bore multiple bullet wounds was shifted to Abbasi Hospital for postmortem.