Fire burns down city courts’ evidence room in Karachi

KARACHI: A fire that erupted in the property room of the City Courts Complex in Karachi late on Tuesday night was brought under control after approximately four hours.

The fire was contained after fire brigade vehicles from all around the city were called on an emergency basis. According to details, a number of explosions were also heard in the court’s evidence room, before the fire. The court’s evidence room usually contains items, like explosives, which are recovered from arrested suspects.

According to details, a portion of the evidence room’s roof has collapsed, while the cooling process is currently underway.

Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) A D Khowaja informed the media that there was no one inside the room when it was engulfed by fire.

However, he added that the complete damage could only be assessed once the flames are doused completely and the affected area has cooled down.

The fire erupted at around 3 am in the morning and then rapidly spread outwards. Fire officials were unable to contain the flames for hours.

A senior superintendent of police (SSP) for the city, informed media that the area surrounding the city court police station and the evidence room does not have closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed, making it almost impossible for the cause of the fire to be determined.