Karachi fire continuing near Korangi Creek oil refinery after two days

KARACHI: A fire near Korangi Creek oil refinery in Karachi is unabated for last two days as a team of experts visited the spot on Sunday to collect samples for lab tests.

The fire was ignited during excavation of the land.

“The fire likely to be ignited in a gas deposit underground,” hydrocarbon experts opined. “There might be a small underground pocket of gas near the surface,” experts said.

Creek Cantonment has taken control of the area.

The fire erupted at the place located in a private society in Korangi Creek after over 1200 feet deep boring or drilling conducted, sources said.

Fire tenders of the KMC and the cantonment board have been present on the spot. “No gas pipeline of Sui Southern Gas or any other entity is present at the place,” fire officials said.

Yesterday the chief fire officer apprehended that the blaze could continue for the next two to three days adding that the firemen facing difficulties to overcome the fire.

According to the Pakistan Petroleum Limited, the fire might be caused by the natural gas fumes emerging from the land surface adding that such fires also used to happen in Baluchistan.

Chief Fire Officer Muhammad Humayun said that the water and gas are mixed. “Tests of the water samples will be conducted to identify the nature of the gas,” he said.