Karachi warehouse fire extinguished after five-hour battle

The fire that broke out late Monday night at a Karachi warehouse owned by an online food delivery company has been brought under control after hours of intense firefighting efforts.

Chief Fire Officer Humayun Ahmed said that the warehouse lacked proper ventilation, adding that heavy machinery was used to break through a warehouse wall to allow fire crew to enter the premises.

The administration of the warehouse also does not possess a mandatory Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), according to the Chief Fire Officer. 

Despite reaching the site of the ill-fated storage located in the Nazimabad area of the port city, the firefighters were unable to enter the premises due to excessive smoke and a lack of ventilation, leaving them unable to begin firefighting efforts even four hours after the fire broke out.

The officials pulled down a wall of the warehouse to let out the smoke so that the fire could be doused.

The warehouse, packed with various goods, including grocery items, has only one entry point, that has complicated the situation, said the fire department's officials. 

Five firetrucks took part in the operation. 

This conflagration follows a major fire at a shopping centre near Teen Talwar in Karachi’s Clifton area on February 18, just under a month ago.

Almost two months earlier, an overnight fire at a furniture market in the port city gutted over 30 shops before being brought under control. The blaze took place the furniture market located near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on 31 December.