At least 29 buildings at I.I. Chundrigar Road declared ‘unsafe’ in fire audit

KARACHI: At least 29 buildings at I.I. Chundrigar Road has been declared ‘unsafe’ in a fire safety audit by Fire Department officials, conducted on Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) orders following a blaze in a high-rise on Rashid Minhas Road that claimed lives of 11 persons, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Karachi has witnessed similar incidents frequently, including the recent fire in a six-storey commercial and residential building on main Shahrah-i-Pakistan near Ayesha Manzil that had claimed three lives and caused financial losses.

Following the incidents, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab ordered a fire safety audit all major buildings across the city and formed a three-member committee for inspection.

According to the report issued today, the Fire Department officials conducted fire safety audit of 45 buildings – wherein over 34,000 citizens work – at I.I. Chundrigar Road, out of which 29 structures have been declared ‘unsafe’.

The report revealed that 77 per cent buildings at the busiest artery of Karachi lack firefighting equipment and staff. “None of the inspected buildings have expert firefighters,” it claimed.

Furthermore, the report stated that none of the buildings possess fire safety certification. In addition, only 16 buildings have water connection to extinguish fire, it added.

Arshi shopping mall fire

A huge fire that broke out in a six-storey commercial and residential building on main Shahrah-i-Pakistan near Ayesha Manzil claimed three lives.

This was the second incident of fire in less than a fortnight as on Nov 25 a blaze that erupted in another six-storey building on Rashid Minhas Road had claimed 11 lives.

The officials said 12 fire engines, two snorkels and two bowsers controlled the fire after several hours of hectic efforts.

Read More: Karachi Mayor orders ‘safety audit’ of all major buildings

Witnesses said that the fire erupted in a mattress shop at the front of the building. They said while fire engines arrived early a snorkel took more than one hour to arrive on the scene.

As firefighters continued the operation, blasts were heard, which were said to be caused by explosions of compressors of refrigerators and air conditioners in the warehouses in the building.