Inferno at paint factory

At least three fire fighters were injured struggling to extinguish a fierce fire that engulfed a paint factory in Site area on Wednesday. Almost all the fire tenders of the city were called for extinguishing the inferno that gutted millions of rupees raw material, police and eyewitnesses said.
Talking to Business Recorder, an employee of the factory said that the fire erupted in the chemical department when the employees were busy in their work as per routine. Another factory and a godown next to the paint factory also caught fire when some of the drums fell there with pressure of explosion, he said adding that nearby factories were evacuated to avoid any catastrophe.
He said that over 2000 square yards, ground-plus-one storey Buxly Paint factory caught fire at 4:45pm. The factory is located on a plot No X-2, near Habib Bank Chowrangi, in the jurisdiction of Site police station.
Some of the workers remained stuck in the factory for hours and later on rescued by fire-fighters, the employee said. Talking to Business Recorder, Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Ehtisham-ud-Din said the fire was brought under control after hectic efforts of almost six hours. He said the fire-fighters took time to extinguish the fire because of the gusty winds. Rescuers were busy putting the fire out in the neighbourhood and a storehouse that also caught fire, he said adding that both the factories sustained big losses."
He said that almost all the fire tenders of the city including two snorkels were called for extinguishing the inferno. He said that the flames generated extraordinary heat that created hurdles in the efforts to control the fire. He said that it was the second such fire that was declared by fire officials as a third degree standard fire in the past four days. Earlier, a third degree standard fire gutted a cotton warehouse in Saeedabad area on April 4, he added.
He said that the first floor of the building was collapsed. Volunteers from different welfare associations and the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and heavy contingent of the law enforcement agencies was also there, he added.
Meanwhile, sources at Site police station said that three fire-fighters - 40-year-old Dildar, 50-year-old Habib and 30-year-old Qaiser - received serious burn injuries and were taken to Civil Hospital for treatment.