Major fire erupts at crowded shopping mall in Pakistan's Islamabad

Islamabad: No major injuries were reported and rescue teams safely evacuated people after a massive fire broke out at Centaurus Mall, the biggest shopping mall in Islamabad on Sunday.

The rescue and fire-fighting teams arrived on the scene moments after the fire was reported around 4 pm. Two hours later, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said that the fire has been completely contained and the mall has been sealed for further investigation.

At least 14 fire-fighting vehicles took part in the rescue operation and more vehicles were requested from the neighbouring Rawalpindi city, the deputy commissioner said. The city administration also asked the Navy for a helicopter rescue team to “help prevent the fire from spreading to the upper floors,” said Islamabad’s chief commissioner Mohammad Usman Younis.

Panic and smoke

Video shared on social media showed scenes of panic at the mall as people were seen yelling and rushing toward the exit gates.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from most of the floors of one of the three buildings of the Centaurus Mall situated in the heart of Pakistan’s capital city. The 27-floor building comprises a five-storey shopping mall with a food court on top and 23-floor residential and office towers.

Witnesses and initial reports suggested that the fire was first reported in the food court on the fourth floor, in the kitchen of one of the restaurants. Local reports indicate that the fire could have been the result of a short circuit or gas cylinder blaze. The blaze completely burned the food court area of the mall, according to initial reports.

The fire incident in the city has raised questions about fire safety plans and procedures at shopping malls and other buildings in Islamabad. “Every time I visited the food court of the mall, I noticed that they didn’t have full kitchens but just cylinders and stoves behind the counter with no proper fire safety mechanisms,” said Bahadur Abbas, an Islamabad resident. Other citizens suggested that there should be separate fire extinguishers at every store and restaurant at malls.

Government orders investigation

The government has ordered an investigation into the fire incident and asked the Islamabad administration to speed up rescue efforts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had ordered relevant institutions and authorities to take urgent measures. “It is very unfortunate that this incident happened in this well-known business centre. I pray that there is no loss of life. Condolences and sympathies for the financial losses of the victims,” he tweeted.