KARACHI: According to sources, at least five people, including two women, died of suffocation when a fire broke out in their home in Mohammed Ali Society, Karachi.

The fire consumed a residence on the first level of a three-story structure on Miran Shah Road, according to fire brigade authorities.

According to the police, there were seven people in the residence when the fire started, and the incident occurred last night.

According to law enforcement, five of them were taken to a hospital while unconscious.  The hospital officials said that the person died of suffocation due to a fire. The victims were aged between 45 and 80 years.

According to hospital officials, they included Sultan Mirza, 80 years old, Shazia, 72 years old, Sabiha, 78 years old, Farhat Mirza, 60 years old, and Akbar, 45 years old.

A short-circuit, according to rescue authorities, caused the fatal fire. According to sources, one of the fatalities, Farhat Mirza, was a professor at Jinnah Sindh Medical University.

According to the fire brigade, Sadiq Hussain, a member of the firefighting crew, was injured while putting out the fire. His situation, on the other hand, is no longer in danger.

According to fire department authorities, the incident was put out with the help of three fire tenders.

“There was no way to go inside the house. Hence, we entered the house by breaking the fence to rescue the people,” said the rescue workers. Five of the residents had lost consciousness as a result of the heavy smoke in their apartments, they added.