Fear over casualties as rescue goes on

Rescue operations at the Nakumatt Downtown store entered its second day on Thursday as smoke continued to billow from the destroyed building.

Fire-fighting continued even as it emerged that the personnel were ill-equipped to respond to disasters of that magnitude. Fears that some people might have been trapped in the building continued to mount with reports of people still missing.

The fire that broke out about 2.45pm on Wednesday had not been completely put out by Thursday afternoon. Most of the 12 fire engines had pulled out of the operation.

The incident, which has raised concerns over the city’s disaster preparedness, has shifted focus to the efficiency of fire-fighting equipment and competency of fire fighters.

In the Wednesday operation, however, one fire-fighting firm stood out as professional and efficient in its response. Knight Support Limited, a security firm that offers fire fighting services, has its equipment and personnel subjected to United Kingdom standards.

The firm’s general manager, Mr Giles Littlewood, said their firemen undergo specialised training in the UK and their equipment satisfies the laid down specifications of that country.

“We offer specialised training courses for all our firemen in the UK to be able to effectively and efficiently respond to emergency situations like this one,” Mr Littlewood said at the scene.

Steady supply

Mr Littlewood said that during the rescue at Nakumatt, he was exclusively in charge of managing the firemen while another manager ensured there was a steady supply of water.

By midday on Thursday, the firm had used 400,000 litres of water at their own cost. Due to its organised water back up system, Mr Littlewood said he was able to receive 27 additional deliveries to the fire engines.

In addition to water back-up, the firm also had special ladders and lighting system that helped them fight the blaze effectively from above.

Unfortunately, they were only called in at 5pm, almost three hours after the fire broke out. With their specialised cutting equipment in every fire engine, they were able to cut holes through the window grills and fight the fire.