Fire ravages Karachi City Courts' property room

KARACHI: A blaze that raged on here in the property room of the City Courts Complex Tuesday night, for approximately four hours, was contained after fire brigade vehicles from all around the city were called on an emergency basis.

Multiple explosions were also heard in the court's evidence room, which usually houses items — including explosives — recovered from arrested suspects, as the fire spread outwards, prompting a call to the bomb disposal squad.

While the cooling process is currently underway, it was ascertained that a portion of the evidence room's roof has collapsed.

Following the incident, AD Khawaja, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for Sindh, informed media that there was no officer inside the building when flames flared up.

However, with regard to understanding which of the contents of the room were destroyed in the fire and which ones could be saved, Khawaja said the damage can only be assessed once the flames have been doused completely and the affected area cooled down.

The top police officer noted that the room's walls are strong.

No CCTV

The blaze had first erupted sometime around 3 AM during the night and then rapidly spread outwards. Fire officials, who had said teams were sent to the scene immediately after an emergency call, were unable to contain the flames for hours.

As of reporting time, the cause of the blaze is said to be a short circuit.

Shiraz Nazeer, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for 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, thereby, making determining the cause of the fire a bigger challenge.

However, Nazeer said the CCTV cameras inside the court were being checked to see if any footage — that may help in the consequent investigation — could be obtained.

Fear had spread throughout the area when residents were woken up by intermittent blasts during the night.

Prior reports suggested that at least four fire brigade vehicles were initially dispatched to the site of the blaze, officials of the emergency response team said, before the flames grew.