ISLAMABAD: A fire broke out in the food court of a popular shopping mall in Islamabad Sunday, but was quickly brought “under control” out as authorities scrambled to rescue.
The capital’s chief commissioner said that the fire has been brought under control and the cooling process has been initiated after videos on social media platforms showed smoke emitting out of the building.
In a statement, Islamabad Police said that people were rescued and safely evacuated from the backdoor of the mall — which was engulfed in smoke after the fire.
The search operation is still underway, and no person or shop has been harmed, the police said, adding that the fire inside the mall has been doused out and a helicopter has also been called in.
اسلام آباد کے بڑے شاپنگ مال سینٹورس میں آگ لگنے کا واقعہ۔
آئی جی اسلام آباد ڈاکٹر اکبر ناصر خاں سمیت سینئر پولیس اور انتظامیہ کے افسران اور ریسکیو ٹیمیں موقع پر پہنچے۔ ٹریفک کی روانی کو برقرار رکھنے کے لیے متبادل پلان جاری کردیا گیا ہے۔⬇️
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) October 9, 2022
“However, the fire has not been completely extinguished on the outside of the mall,” the police said, requesting the citizens to avoid travelling near the mall to ensure that rescue teams could do their work uninterrupted.
To oversee the situation, Inspector-General Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, senior police officials, and district administration representatives reached the mall, located in F-8.
Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) capt (retd) Mohammed Usman Younas is also at the site and overseeing rescue and firefighting operations.
Chairman CDA capt (r) Mohammed Usamn younas is at the site and is over seeing rescue and firefightih opertion at the shopping mall fire incident. All resources are being utilised to control the fire as early as possible.
— Capital Development Authority Islamabad. (@CDAthecapital) October 9, 2022
All resources are being utilised to control the fire as early as possible, the CDA added.
The Islamabad Police later said that the building, under the orders of the deputy commissioner, would be sealed once the rescue operation was completed.
It added that the mall’s building would remain sealed until a probe into the matter has been carried out. Until then, entry into the building would remain prohibited to the public.
In a separate statement, the police said that due to the fire, diversions have been placed for traffic from F-8 Exchange Chowk to Khyaban Chowk at Jinnah Avenue.
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