The probe committee that has been given the task for assessment of losses in Timber Market fire incident could not yet bring out final report over the tragic loss which is being estimated at least millions of rupees. The committee will take a long time for a comprehensive report, sources told PPI.
The sources said that the committee which comprised representatives of the government, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Timber Merchant seemed even not to complete the report within the next fortnight.
The Sindh government had announced to maximally compensate the affected 90 families and about 200 shopkeepers and the compensation process would take a month after the report would be finalised.
Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, who is heading the committee, told that no timeframe could be given for a final report, however, the process was going on. Replying a query, he said nothing could be said at the moment that triggered the fire. While Deputy Chief Fire Officer Syed Imtiaz Afzal has expressed suspicion over the Timber Market fire and said that it could be an inside job or arson.
He said it could not be understood that how fire engulfed the area so fast, while the timber was a kind of wood which was not used for burning and it takes time to catch fire.
“If it was an accidental fire, it should not have leapt so fast. The colour of the fire was carbon blue which showed as if there was some chemical burning with the fire. In fact as high as 160-170 degree Celsius temperature was needed to burn that wood,” he said.
Afzal said he did not know who could have got benefit by harming the shopkeepers of the market established since British-era, however, the loss was not as big for the shopkeepers as was being shown on media because the shopkeepers were financially insured.
The fire officer said that his department did not get any call before 1:19am that night. Although, a man on a car approached the fire station at 1:19am which was at a distance of about half a kilometre from the location of incident and within a couple of minutes fire tenders reached there. Amazingly, there was no panic and people were already evacuated, he added.
Muhammed Hussain, a shopkeeper of the market, told that most of the shopkeepers were insured and he also acknowledged that his house was nearby and before he could reach the spot, fire fighters had started working. “The fire was unnaturally spreading very fast,” he said. He said there was only one watchman who was sleeping at the time fire started.
