Karachi (Web Desk) At least three people died and two others were injured on Wednesday when huge fire broke out in a six-storey commercial and residential building located near Karachi's Ayesha Manzil on Wednesday.
According to initial reports, a shop caught fire as result of a short circuit, but the flames later spread to other shops that were part of the furniture market situated under the building.
The fire soon engulfed the entire building comprising 250 shops and 450 apartments, creating panic among the dwellers of the area.
However, the building was completely evacuated within two hours, as the Fire Department teams reached to the site and acted swiftly to douse the blaze after it was reported.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab stated that the fire brigade is actively working to extinguish the fire. He said that assessing the number of people inside the building at this time would be premature.
"Our efforts are focused on preventing the fire from spreading any further at this time, " he said.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Wahab said the fire brigade was present at the scene to deal with the situation.
“Snorkel is also present on site to evacuate people from the roof if required. Will keep everyone posted,” he added.
Taking notice of the incident, Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar directed the authorities for quick containment of the fire.
He instructed the commissioner and deputy commissioner to monitor the situation themselves, urging the authorities to evacuate people to safety as soon as possible.
The Sindh CM also directed additional fire brigade units to reach the incident site promptly and extinguish the fire.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also took notice of the incident, directing Karachi Commissioner to ensure the safety of the people inside the building.
More to follow.....