A fire broke out at a shopping centre in Buffer Zone neighbourhood, destroying several motorcycles and damaging two shops, rescue officials said on Saturday.
The blaze erupted on the mezzanine floor of Erum Shopping Centre.
The fire affected two shops and multiple motorcycles parked in the shopping centre’s corridor.
Fire brigade officials said that two fire tenders and a water bowser were dispatched to the scene. Firefighters responded promptly and successfully prevented the flames from spreading to other parts of the building.
Authorities said that seven to eight motorcycles were completely destroyed in the fire. Rescue officials stated that residents had parked their motorcycles in the corridor, where they were engulfed by the flames.
During the operation, volunteers broke through an iron grille and safely rescued a young girl who had become trapped inside the building. Fire brigade officials confirmed that the blaze had been brought under control, while cooling operations continued to prevent any reignition.
No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident, and authorities said the situation was fully under control. An investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
The latest incident brought back memories from the deadline fire that left 79 people, including shopkeepers and customers, dead in the Gul Plaza shopping centre a few months back.
Sources familiar with the preliminary findings of a committee tasked with investigating the devastating fire had then said that the blaze started from a shop selling artificial flowers on the ground floor due to the alleged negligence of the owner.
They said the shop owner had been traced and interviewed and he told investigators that his two minor sons were playing in the shop while he was away. While playing, they lit a match and threw it into the shop without putting it out before leaving. As a result, the shop caught fire due to the presence of combustible material, the sources added.
An official said the shop owner’s account was also corroborated by other witnesses. He said that since it was an accident, the owner or his sons had not been detained.
Meanwhile, officials said that there were no effective fire safety arrangements inside the plaza, as out of 1,200 shops, “only 200” shops had fire extinguishers.
An Edhi Foundation spokesperson in a statement said that three bodies were handed over to relatives after identification.
