Paul KeenanNeighbours work to fight fire
A Capuchin friary in Karachi, Pakistan, was saved when Christians and Muslims worked together to fight a blaze which broke out there, it has emerged.
Details of the spontaneous community action on July 16 have only now reported in which a sudden blast inside the Capuchin House signalled that something was amiss with the building.
As an electrical short set fire to the premises, Christian and Muslim neighbours ran to aid Fr Javed Kashif, the one priest present, in fighting the flames. Fr Kashif received injuries to his hands in that fight, but was otherwise unhurt as locals worked to limit the damage and rescue property.
“We thank God that no lives have been lost and the friars are safe,” a witness, Asif Nazir, was quoted as saying after the fire. “Muslim neighbours rushed for help in extinguishing the fire, which brings a ray of hope for dialogue, communal harmony, and sustaining peace.”
Though all of the Capuchin House’s valued books and all computers were lost, most of the residents of the Capuchin House were elsewhere at the time of the fire, due to summer holidays or pastoral commitments in Karachi, thereby avoiding potential fatalities.