A massive fire broke out on Monday in a commercial plaza located in the outskirts of the city, destroying property and goods worth millions of rupees. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained. The fire erupted in the basement of a four-storey shopping centre at Alipur Frash in the limits of Shehzad Town police station and engulfed other floors as well.
The fire brigade staff reached the scene very late and failed to bring the flames under control. As many as 15 shops in the plaza were burnt to ashes. After a while, the second floor of a nearby plaza also caught fire. The affected plazas had inflammable material, including chemicals and plastic. While quoting the owners of the plazas, police said the incident did not seem an accident.
The fire turned many shops and valuables into ashes. The situation caused panic in the area as high flames and clouds of smoke could be seen from far off. A heavy contingent of police reached the spot and a bomb disposal squad was also called to conduct a search operation. Eyewitnesses said the fire erupted between 5am to 5:30am and engulfed the plaza within a few minutes. Some eyewitnesses said the fire brigade vehicles arrived quite late at the spot.
Had the Capital Development Authority (CDA) fire brigade reached early, the fire would have been controlled easily, they held. Shahzad Town SHO Muhammad Younus said the cause of the fire would be ascertained after a complete investigation. “The police, after receiving information, reached the scene and informed other relevant departments,” he said. A CDA official said that 95 percent multi-storey shopping plazas in the city had no fire safety and emergency exit systems.
He added that short circuit could be the cause of the fire as there was a poor electric wiring in the plaza. “The CDA has issued notices to the owners of the plazas to install fire safety and emergency exit systems, but they have turned a blind eye to the matter,” he regretted.
