LAHORE: A massive fire broke out in a factory located on Multan Road here on Friday.

The fire that started at 1:09pm spread so quickly that it engulfed over 60 acre of the factory premises damaging the entire stock, including home appliances.

Later, it transpired that the fire erupted in the huge stock of thermopore sheets, which is said to be highly inflammable. Hundreds of employees working in the Waves factory immediately vacated the building after they saw dense smoke followed by huge flames.

The first vehicle of Rescue 1122 responded within seven minutes of the incident. However, the other units and rescue teams reached late due to what officials claimed heavy traffic as well as construction work on the road.

By the time the rescue operation started, the fire had spread to a major portion of the factory, an employee told the media.

The fire was so strong that nearby buildings were also evacuated. The rescue teams struggled to reach the source of the blaze due to dense smoke.

“We saw huge flames from the sheds where the thermopore material was stocked in a large quantity,” the employee said, adding that luckily there were not a lot of workers present at the time, as most of them had left for Friday prayers. A stampede-like situation was witnessed when those present in the factory made their way to the exit.

Half of the premises comprised the factory and the other half dozens of sheds where the stock of thermopore sheets, packing material and other such inflammable material were stored, he added. The massive fire also damaged the building and cracks appeared on its roofs and walls.

The employee further said it would be premature to assess the damage to home appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and other goods, as the factory premises were inaccessible due to the dense smoke and huge flames.

Another employee said major loss was reported in the sheds most of which were reduced to ashes.

“Our command and control centre received a call about a fire at Waves factory at 1:09pm and our first vehicle reached there within seven minutes of the incident,” a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 told Dawn.

He said upon realising the scale of the fire and its intensity, the service dispatched 25 firefighting vehicles and ambulances. The teams managed to keep the blaze from spreading to surrounding areas, he said, adding that over 50 Rescue personnel took part in the operation.

He said later in the evening they received information that the fire had almost been controlled and the cooling process was under way.

“According to Haroon Bath, the owner of Waves Cool Industries, the fire first erupted in the stock of thermopore,” Saddar Division Superintendent of Police Umar Farooq told Dawn.

Mr Haroon told police that he had procured the material in a large quantity due to peak season of purchase of home appliances. No casualty was reported in the incident, the SP said and added that almost 90pc of the ablaze had been extinguished till the filing of the report.

Police would launch an investigation into the incident once the premises are handed over to them by the rescue teams.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2018