People trapped in Gul Plaza during the deadly fire in January could not be rescued due to lack of heavy machinery and delayed information about the blaze, the Rescue 1122 director general told the judicial commission on Tuesday.
Rescue 1122 director general Syed Wajid Sibghatullah told the single-member inquiry of commission headed by Justice Agha Faisal during cross-examination of citizen Danish Ali that Rescue 1122 was working with the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s fire department with limited resources as a backup force.
He said Rescue 1122 has four fire stations and seven fire tenders, and the first fire tender, which was sent from DHA, reached Gul Plaza at 10:53pm. He said Rescue 1122 firefighters and rescuers have masks and other necessary equipment, but when we reached Gul Plaza the building was engulfed in the fire.
Sibghatullah said rescuers had tried to enter the building while extinguishing the fire but could not succeed. He added that due to delayed information of the fire, rescuers lost important opportunities to control the flames. He said his department has no snorkels, aerial ladders and excavators.
Provincial electric inspector Pervez Ahmed told the commission that the electric inspector examined and inspected the power load and also examined firefighting equipment. He also produced a notification of the provincial irrigation and power department issued on August 13, 2003 with details of annual and periodical inspections of all the electrical installations of industrial and commercial premises and multi-storey buildings in the private sector till further orders.
KMC chief fire officer Humayon Khan also cross-examined journalist Mohammad Babar and said fire brigade and urban search and rescue are the same department. He also produced a video of available equipment of the fire brigade and urban search and rescue department before the commission.
The commission turned down a request of the chairman of the Rimpa Plaza association about proper safety measures for the dilapidated Gul Plaza structure, observing that they could approach the relevant forum. The commission will record statements of ambulance drivers and volunteers on March 5.
