KARACHI: At least 250 shops were gutted in a fire that erupted in the Cooperative Market of Karachi’s Saddar area in the early hours of Monday.
Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon said that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, adding that the blaze was “third grade”. People would be informed about the cause of the fire after initial reports are received, he added.
The shopkeepers, however, claimed that more than 350 shops and Rs200 million have gone down the drain because of the fire.
The affected shopkeepers alleged that the fire tenders arrived an hour after the blaze was reported. They added that if the firefighters had arrived earlier then major losses could have been averted.
The shopkeepers claim that the fire had erupted on the ground floor and spread to the first floor due to the huge stock inside the shops there.
The operation to douse the blaze is currently under way with one fire tender and a team present on the spot. More assistance from all fire stations across the city has been sought.
Pakistan Navy fire tenders also participated in the firefighting operation till the filing of the story.
A spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy said that the assistance was provided at the request of the civil administration.
The fire department officials said that they received the information about the fire early in the morning around 5am.
“We had dispatched four fire tenders right after receiving the information, however, we enlarged the operation when we saw the intensity of fire,” shared the officials.