At least 11 people were killed in a blaze on Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road yesterday. According to media reports, over 50 people were safely evacuated from the high-rise commercial complex, many were said to be inside the building when the fire was still sweeping across at least one floor of that building.

The lack of fire prevention system in this commercial plaza is said to be one of the main reasons, if not the only reason, behind this tragedy that has raised questions about the role of building construction regulating authorities and the residents alike.

The fact that fire safety is a critical feature of any structure, specially high-risk buildings which include high-rise constructions, hospitals, education institutions, malls, railway stations, etc, cannot be over-emphasized.

According to city planners and engineers, at least 90 percent of all structures in Karachi do not have fire prevention and fire-fighting systems. That is why perhaps the incidents of fire are now a commonplace across the country, particularly in major towns such as Karachi and Lahore.

According to the World Health Organization data published in 2020, the number of deaths caused by fires in Pakistan reached 4,305.

It is no secret that a vast majority of commercial and residential buildings in Karachi are found to have been flouting fire safety norms.

What is another matter of concern for any conscientious citizen is that many societies, particularly those belonging to high-rise buildings, do not conduct regular maintenance of fire prevention systems installed in their buildings.

That is why most of our structures are vulnerable to fire. There is, therefore, an urgent need of addressing the fire safety issue in our major metropolitans in particular without any further loss of time.

The Rashid Minhas Road fire tragedy must serve as a massive wake-up call to our officialdom, including Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui.

Khalid bin Waleed, Karachi

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023