By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: The oil refinery fire at Korangi Creek continues to rage as authorities have temporarily halted firefighting efforts due to extreme heat, fire brigade officials said on Saturday. Officials reported that the blaze erupted during a 1,200-foot deep excavation in the early hours of the morning. So far, no casualties have been reported, and the intensity of the fire has neither increased nor subsided significantly.
Facing serious challenges in bringing the flames under control, authorities are now collaborating with multiple agencies to devise a new containment strategy. Meanwhile, workers and residents near the excavation site have been moved to safety. Despite nearly 10 hours of firefighting, authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire or identify the type of gas leaking from the ground. Fire brigade officials confirmed the presence of a gas leak but were unable to specify its composition.
Sources claimed that the leakage could be from a shallow underground gas reserve or may leak of nearby oil refinery. The matter will first be investigated under the “zero gas factor” framework before the Petroleum Division conducts a further inquiry. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) issued a statement confirming that no gas pipeline or installation belonging to them was located near the site.
Initially, firefighters attempted to douse the flames with water, but officials said this only intensified the heat. The strategy was later shifted to using soil and sand in an attempt to smother the fire. More than 10 fire tenders, along with multiple water tankers, participated in the operation. However, the effort proved ineffective as the high gas pressure caused the flames to reignite. Experts warn that without properly identifying the gas and its source, the risk of the fire flaring up again remains high.
Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi and Korangi Deputy Commissioner Masood Bhutto visited the site to review the situation. Speaking to the media, Naqvi said that if a permit exists for such deep excavation, it will be verified. He also assured that an investigation would determine which authority granted permission for the drilling.
Initially suspected to have been triggered by a damaged gas pipeline during underground drilling, the inferno has proved extremely difficult to control. Senior Fire Officer Muhammad Zafar described the fire as “mysterious,” saying that it was still unclear which pipeline had been affected. “The fire is mysterious. We still do not know which pipeline this is,” he said.
Zafar added that attempts to douse the flames with water were proving ineffective. “We were spraying water on the flames, but it kept bouncing back,” he explained. He suggested that the fire was bursting out from a crater that needed to be sealed with soil. “We may need to use a dumper truck or even a helicopter to drop soil over the flames,” he said.
In response to the escalating situation, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) declared an emergency at the Landhi hydrant to ensure an uninterrupted water supply. “The hydrant in charge is in constant contact with the fire brigade and rescue teams to maintain a persistent supply of water,” a KWSC spokesperson confirmed.
Governor Kamran Tessori expressed serious concern over the situation and called for immediate and effective action. “We must take swift measures to control this fire,” he said in a call to the Chief Fire Officer and engineers present at the site. To further boost efforts, the governor assured fire officials that he would coordinate with relevant authorities to arrange a helicopter if needed to drop soil over the flames.
