Korangi Crossing fire still raging as efforts to extinguish

A fire that started during deep digging work at Korangi Crossing in Karachi is still burning even after 31 hours. The fire broke out while a local construction company was drilling more than 1,200 feet into the ground to install a tube well.

Fire Officer Humayun Ahmed said that methane gas is leaking from underground with strong pressure, which makes it dangerous to put out the fire immediately—it could spread the gas and harm people nearby.

He added that the fire can only be controlled once the gas pressure goes down, which might take two to three days.

However, a former head of Pakistan Petroleum Limited believes the fire is caused by biogenic gas and might take up to one and a half weeks to put out fully.

Meanwhile, the Sui Southern Gas Company clarified that it doesn’t have any pipelines or installations in that area. Pakistan Petroleum Limited’s COO, Sikandar Memon, said the gas isn’t harmful, but they don’t yet know how large the gas deposit is. They are testing water samples and expect to share more information soon.

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