A blaze that erupted in the basement of a well-known department store near Jail Chowrangi in Karachi a day earlier was finally brought under control on Thursday morning, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed said.

       Over a dozen fire tenders were involved in bringing the fire under control, he said, adding that cooling work was ongoing.

       Ahmed said he personally supervised firefighting efforts till 3am when the fire department received information that another blaze had erupted in a factory in the Korangi industrial area.

       He added that the factory blaze was also brought under control through "hectic efforts" and cooling work was ongoing there as well.

       Meanwhile, Karachi Commissioner Mohammad Iqbal Memon visited the department store — Chase Up — for an inspection where he was briefed by the deputy commissioner East, director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and officials from the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA).

       A technical committee from the KBCA completed the preliminary inspection of the site. The final inspection will be done once the fire has been extinguished, according to a statement from the commissioner's office.

       The route from Jail Chowrangi towards Shaheed-i-Millat Road has been closed for traffic, a spokesperson for the traffic police said.

       One person died and three fell unconscious from smoke inhalation yesterday.

       Station House Officer (SHO) Arshad Janjua of Ferozabad Police Station said the deceased was an employee of the store, while a firefighter is among the three who lost consciousness.

       Footage from the scene yesterday showed plumes of smoke rising from the multi-storey building as officials tried to put out the flames. Thick smoke also engulfed the surrounding area, causing breathing problems for residents and passers-by.

       KMC Chief Fire Officer Ahmed said 11 fire tenders belonging to the corporation, two water bowsers, one snorkel, 13 water tankers from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board as well as tenders from the Pakistan Navy took part in the dousing of the flames.