Small traders on Wednesday called for dismantling of the deficient Fire Brigade department that failed to respond to the weekend blaze, which turned billion of rupees residential and commercial property into ashes at Timber Market. Fire continued for over 20 hours in the city's old area wood market that turned billion of rupees businesses into ash and also damaged residential property.
During the high-rise blaze, the fire fighters failed to cope with the tragedy for want of equipments and manpower, traders said. "An effective fire fighting system should be built to help the city cope with the fire incidents and protect the public life and property. The existing fire fighting system is deficient and dead," President All Pakistan Organisation of Small Traders and Cottage Industry - Karachi Chapter, Mehmood Hamid said.
The government should bring in a new fire fighting system on war-footing to avoid continuing financial and life losses that occurred in the wake of blaze in the city, he said that "the government should also help the damaged businesses and residential properties rebuilt."
He said the city, which generated around 70 percent national revenue, should be placed on the government's development priority list, adding that "markets should also be protected which have a greater part in the revenue accumulation to help the government run its administration."
Slamming the Karachi Municipal Corporation's fire brigade department, he said the fire fighting station was just 200 meters away from the blaze site but it could not help. The fire fighters failed to extinguish the blaze that remained for over 20 hours to inflict destruction on the businesses and affect the residents, he said. Few years back on December 28, a deadly fire broke out in Boltan Market that gutted over 200 shops, and left over 500 residents homeless, he said, adding that the traders should also come forward to help the affected people of Timber Market area.