Massive fire engulfs solar panel warehouse in Karachi

KARACHI: A huge fire erupted in two warehouses containing solar panels and cosmetics in the Hawkesbay area on Tuesday (October 1), officials said.

According to media reports, the fire at the solar panel warehouse was controlled after 12 hours but efforts were underway to put out the blaze in the cosmetics storage unit till late in the night.

DIG South Syed Asad Raza said the exact cause of the fire was being ascertained. He said police had rushed to the spot and rescued workers from the warehouses while rescue officials were called. He said fire tenders from the Pakistan Navy and Air Force were also called after the situation worsened.

Sindh Rescue 1122 official Hassaan Khan told a media outlet that they initially received information about a fire in one Ansari Godown at Hawkesbay.

He said rescue officials faced immense difficulty to diffuse the fire as warehouse contained solar panels, batteries and other inflammable material and chemicals.

The official said fire spread rapidly due to the presence of chemical material and engulfed another warehouse nearby, prompting them to call back up teams.

He said hazardous, inflammable chemicals were present in the second warehouse which was used for manufacturing perfumes, cosmetics, and make-up material. He said the fire at the second warehouse was controlled after a passage of 12 hours.