As the city received heavy showers on Monday, valuables worth millions of rupees were reduced to ashes in three fire incidents in different areas of the provincial capital.
Some 20 offices and apartments including the office of a local Urdu newspaper were badly damaged when fire broke out in a building located on Queens Road due to short circuiting early in the morning. The five storey building was housing law firms and other private offices. Bystanders cried while looking at their millions of rupees worth of goods go down in flames. People inside the building ran out into the open to save their lives. At least 13 people inside the building fell unconscious and were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital where their condition was stated to be out of danger. Officials of Rescue 1122 and fire brigade brought the flames under control after an hour long fight. In Qila Gujjar Singh, fire broke out on the fourth floor of a private TV channel after short circuiting of electricity wires and engulfed the canteen and newsroom. Employees of the TV channel congregated on the road during the incident and watched property worth thousands of rupees go down in flames. After receiving the information, officials of Rescue 1122 reached the spot and were successful in taming the raging flames which saved precious lives and property.
Late on Sunday, a restaurant in H-Block Defense Housing Authority (DHA) was engulfed by flames after short circuiting of electricity wires which spread fear among the locals. The Karachi BBQ building was up in flames in a matter of moments as people ran out of the restaurant in a frenzy of desperation. A person who got injured in the incident was immediately shifted to the General Hospital by Rescue 1122 officials.
