A massive fire that erupted at godowns near Hawkesbay on Tuesday morning was finally controlled late evening, with an estimated financial loss worth millions of rupees, according to officials.
The fire initially erupted at Ansari Godown, which had solar panels, solar batteries and other flammable material, requiring the use of foam to control the fire, Rescue 1122 official Hassaan Khan told Dawn.com.
A second godown was also engulfed by the fire, Khan said, adding that a “hazardous, flammable chemical” present there was being used to manufacture perfumes, cosmetics and makeup material.
He added that the presence of the highly flammable material required “specialised” foam to be brought in for firefighting efforts.
Khan had told Dawn.com at around 6pm that although the fire at the first godown had been brought under control, more time was required to fully extinguish the fire owing to flammable solar panel materials in the godown.
No injury or loss of life had been reported, Khan confirmed.
Later at night, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com that the fire was controlled but cooling work continued.
The exact cause of the fire at the godown with solar panels had yet to be ascertained, he said, adding that police received a call at around 10:30am of a fire at the New Quaid-i-Azam Truck Stand.
Police rushed to the spot and rescued workers from the godown, while the Fire Brigade and Rescue 1122 were called. Upon realising the gravity of the situation, fire tenders from the Navy and Air Force were also called, the DIG said.
He noted that the fire had engulfed two other godowns, named Aslam Ashram and Papu, after erupting in the Ansari godown. The presence of perfumes and electronic materials made it difficult to control the blaze, he added.
Around eight to 10 fire tenders managed to control the fire after several hours, DIG Raza said, noting that police had cordoned off the godowns.
“The cause of the fire may be known after the completion of cooling work,” DIG Raza said, adding that the estimated financial loss was in the millions of rupees.
