Description:

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police has filed a First Information Report (FIR) on the Centaurus fire against unidentified suspects.

According to the FIR, a Quick Response Force (QRF) team of the ICT police reached Centaur at 4:10 pm on Sunday and saw that its A tower had been engulfed in fire.

Firefighters from the Capital City Development Authority (CDA) along with Centaurus personnel were already busy evacuating people and extinguishing the fire.

The FIR added that unidentified suspects set the opulent shopping and residential complex on fire. While their motive for setting the fire remains unknown, they have been charged under Section 436 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Section 436 of the PPC states:

Whoever commits mischief by fire or any explosive substance intending to cause, or knowing that he is likely thereby to cause, the destruction of any building ordinarily used as a place of worship or as a human habitation or as a place for the safekeeping of property shall be punished with imprisonment for with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment of either description for a term of [not less than three years and more than] ten years and shall also be punished with fine.

Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of ICT has informed a seven-member commission of inquiry to determine the reasons behind the fire at Centaur and submit the initial findings within three days.

The committee is headed by another ICT district municipality. It also consists of Deputy Commissioner ICT Industry, District Emergency Officer Rawalpindi, Director BCS CDA, Direct EM CDA, Additional Director EM CDA and one co-opted member.

The commission will determine the cause of the fire and the extent of infrastructure damage. He will also find out whether there was a functional fire safety device and fire alarm system in the building.