After a popular mall in the Capital caught fire on Sunday, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to conduct a post-fire structure stability audit of all high-rises in Islamabad.
The decision was made at a meeting led by CDA Chairman Captain (r) Muhammad Usman Younis on Monday, which decided that all buildings with heights greater than 50 feet would be subjected to a fire audit, according to The News.
High-rise buildings will also be tested for real-time mock exercises, it was decided. The meeting also agreed that there was a need to improve emergency response and equip emergency disaster cells with cutting-edge technology.
The CDA chairman also announced that certificates would be given to the staff of Rescue 1122 in Rawalpindi for their active participation in rescue and firefighting work.
Meanwhile, rescue and emergency services extinguished a large fire that broke out on Sunday at the 36-story Centaurus Mall on Jinnah Avenue in the city’s heart. However, no one was injured, the fire was completely extinguished, and the building was sealed for further investigation.
Firefighting efforts were assisted by the fire department, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, and Rescue 1122, according to CDA Chairman and Chief Commissioner Capt (r) Mohammad Usman Younis. In order to aid in the rescue operations and prevent the fire from spreading to additional stories of the structure, a helicopter crew was also sent.
When a huge fire started in the food court on the fourth floor of the shopping centre, hundreds of families were busy dining and shopping on various floors of the mall.
The CDA administration acknowledged that the fire was put out after two hours, however, the cooling process later lasted for more than an hour. According to the Islamabad Police, rescue teams used a back door to free persons trapped inside the mall before conducting an interior search.
Prior to the technical team’s report on the towers’ structural viability following the fire incident, the Mall and its associated residential towers were sealed as a precaution.
The building of the shopping mall will be shut by the order of the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad after the rescue effort is through, according to a spokesperson for the Islamabad Police, and no one will be permitted to enter the mall.
Pavan Manzoor is an experienced content writer , editor and social media handler along with a track record of youth-oriented activities in Pakistan and abroad. She was selected as a fully-funded delegate as a leadership fellow in Turkey. She also led a team of 5 volunteers at the week-long Young Professionals Fellowship in Maldives. She is also a member of the Youth Standing Committee on Higher Education.
