KARACHI: Mystery shrouded the fire incident at the Customs House, in which important record was burnt.
The fire, which broke out at a particular area of the second floor at the building, was extinguished in 15 minutes by the staff. However, an inquiry into the matter has not been started properly. The cause of the fire is said to be short circuiting.
A customs officer, on the condition of anonymity, told Customs Today that the fire broke out at the Customs House, but was extinguished in a few minutes as Customs House has its own department which deals with such matters.
The officer also claimed that no important documents were burnt in the incident, adding that the reports in this regard were baseless.
He said that the fire erupted due to short circuit at the office of Deputy Collector Imran Rasool and it was not at a larger area.
Sources revealed that a high level meeting was called by the authorities. In the initial investigations, the officers did not give any importance to the incident as the fire had not caused any big damage to the department. The meeting was canceled afterward.
In an internal inquiry, the staff deputed in the building at the time of fire was thoroughly grilled, sources said, adding that the overall scenario of fire and the firefighters who extinguished the fire were also inquired. However, the officer claimed it was a departmental inquiry which was a routine matter.
Sources claimed important documents were gutted in the fire, which broke out on January 5 which was a holiday on account of Kashmir Day.
