[VIDEO] Karachi: Fire at private oil terminal in Keamari, 2 dead and 3 injured

[Abdullah719]

A fire broke out at a privately-owned oil terminal in Karachi’s Keamari on Thursday afternoon.

Three people have been injured and shifted to the Burns Ward at Civil Hospital. The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet.

The KPT fire brigade is at the scene, as are teams from rescue organisations.

The fire erupted near Terminal 1. More ambulances and fire brigade vehicles are being called in.

According to officials, dozens of companies have their terminals in this area. The fire erupted in a spot where a leak formed in the oil line.

There is heavy police presence at the scene and the authorities have blocked access to the terminal entrance.

Staff at nearby terminals are being evacuated as firefighters are using foam to extinguish the flames.

https://www.samaa.tv/news/2020/09/fire-oil-terminal-karachi-keamari/

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A fire has erupted at the Shell Oil Depot at Kemari Terminal-1. Fire tenders on site. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karachi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karachi</a> <a href="https://t.co/QrqJFsJucn">pic.twitter.com/QrqJFsJucn</a></p>— Yusra Askari (@YusraSAskari) <a href="https://twitter.com/YusraSAskari/status/1301450392732086273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[sweep_shot]

Looks like a nasty fire.

Glad nobody was killed.

 

[MenInG]

Two people were burned to death and at least three others suffered burn injuries when a fire broke out at an oil terminal in Karachi's Keamari area on Thursday, officials and eyewitnesses said.

The blaze erupted in the Shell Oil Depot at Keamari Terminal-1 following which three people were shifted to the Burns Centre of the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi with injuries, according to police.

Jackson police Station House Officer Malik Adil Khan initially said five employees of the private oil company were reportedly present when the fire broke out and the whereabouts of two of them were not known. However, the officer in the evening said two burnt bodies were recovered from the site.

The deceased were identified as Shahid and Salih Mohammed.

The fire was brought under control by 10-12 fire tenders of the Karachi Port Trust and KMC Fire Brigade after hectic efforts lasting around four hours, the officer added.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Shell Pakistan Limited said the incident occurred as a PSO import line of 20 inches diameter "passing inside Shell Pakistan’s terminal 1" at Keamari caught fire.

They said authorities acted quickly to control the fire and emergency rescue services along with the Shell Pakistan team were present at the site and "extending their support in ensuring the safety of every personnel present at PSO terminal".

"Pakistan being an import-reliant country needs to ensure the most stringent of [safety] compliance in terms of pipelines for the fuel supply coming into Karachi and Shell Pakistan is willing to support all stakeholders in this regard so that such unfortunate incidents can be avoided," the spokesperson added.

An official of the KPT fire department said they received information about the blaze at about 1:05pm. The fire tenders managed to control the fire at 3:30pm, however, cooling work went well into the evening.

The official said the exact cause of the blaze may become clear after experts submit their final report.

A spokesperson of the Edhi Foundation whose ambulances shifted the wounded to hospital said they had received serious burns.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Rangers Sindh in a statement said that the fire had erupted in a petrol unit at Keamari oil terminal-1.

Rangers personnel along with rescue services reached the site of the "huge" fire and cordoned off the area, the statement said.

It added that the paramilitary force's members also took part in efforts to rescue the victims and control the fire. In order to extinguish the blaze, water tankers were summoned from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board hydrants and fire tenders from the Fire Brigade, according to the press release.

Personnel and fire tenders of the Pakistan Navy also assisted in efforts to control the fire, a Navy spokesperson said.

Oil supply suspended
The fire affected oil supply to the entire country after the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) advised tanker owners, drivers and cleaners to stay away from the affected oil depot for their safety.

The supply of oil from the terminal was suspended on APOTOA senior vice-chairman Mir Shams Shahwani's orders and it will be restored considering the situation after the fire is completely extinguished, the association said in a statement.

Shawani later told Dawn.com the supply will be restored at 9am on Friday after necessary checks are carried out.

The statement said APOTOA representatives were fully cooperating with the administration of Shell Pakistan Limited.

Shahwani requested Prime Minister Imran Khan, the petroleum minister and the secretary petroleum to increase security along the depot and take additional precautionary measures to avoid such incidents in the future.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1577722/2...d-as-huge-fire-erupts-at-keamari-oil-terminal

 

[sweep_shot]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun.

Seems like a pretty serious fire.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Devastating fire engulfed the Arshi shopping mall in Karachi's Ayesha Manzil area on Wednesday evening, leaving several people trapped inside.

The inferno has been declared 'third degree'.

One person has been reported critically injured in the incident, and he was moved to hospital for treatment. The casualties can rise.

The blaze erupted around 5:47pm, originating in a foam shop and rapidly spreading to neighbouring stores of similar nature.

Chief Fire Officer, Ishtiaq Ahmed, stated that seven fire brigade vehicles, a snorkel, and a water bowser were deployed to the scene to extinguish the inferno.

Rescue teams swiftly mobilized to evacuate residents trapped within the flats above the burning shops.

SSP Central Faisal Abdullah provided additional details, revealing that the fire started in a foam shop and quickly spread to nearby stores, escalating into a major conflagration.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab stated that additional fire brigade vehicles had been dispatched to the scene, and the primary focus was on minimizing human casualties in the ongoing fire incident.

Source : Samaa News

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Karachi furniture market fire death toll rises to 5
The death count from Wednesday's building fire in Karachi's Federal B Area has jumped to five after the blaze was finally extinguished, and the building's cooling process was completed on Thursday.

The tragic incident occurred when a six-storey commercial-cum-residential building, named Arshi Shopping Centre, caught fire on Shahrah-e-Pakistan near Ayesha Manzil in District Central's Federal B Area.

There were residents present inside the building at the time of the incident, which made the situation even more unfortunate.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started when one of the shops caught fire during welding work on the ground floor. Unfortunately, the flames later spread to other shops that were part of the furniture market under the building.

The Ayesha Manzil furniture market has over 250 shops on the ground floor, while furniture, mattresses, and petroleum products are kept on the mezzanine floor. Additionally, there are 450 residential flats on the upper four floors.

There were concerns that the building had weakened due to the fire and could collapse at any time.

However, the building was completely evacuated within two hours, as the Fire Department teams reached the site and acted swiftly to douse the blaze after it was reported.

As a result of the fire, the death toll which previously stood at four, has now increased to five after rescue personnel recovered another body from the fire-affected residential building.

"The body found on the first floor of the shopping mall was taken to the hospital," rescue officials revealed. "The deceased died of suffocation and burns."

"The number of people killed in the incident has increased to 5, one person is injured," rescue officials said. Moreover, the rescue operations that continued till late last night have been completed.

As a result of the fire, the ground floor and mezzanine floor of the apartment building, according to officials, have been severely damaged.

The firefighting snorkels of the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC), Fire Brigade, and Pakistan Navy participated in the rescue operation to douse the flames.

Authorities also revealed that goods worth hundreds of thousands of rupees were completely gutted due to fire, and many motorcycles and vehicles were also burnt.

Following last night's blaze, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) sealed the Arshi Shopping Centre.

"After the inspection, it will be decided whether the building is fit for use or not," the SBCA said.

Source : The News International