ISLAMABAD: The fire at the Centaurus Mall in Islamabad was caused by an inflammable material in a restaurant at the food court, sources said while quoting the initial report of a seven-member fact-finding committee.

“There was no adequate lighting at the emergency exit site,” it said, “whereas smoke filled the upper floors of the mall because of lack of ventilation.”

The mall, which is an upmarket retail complex with stores and entertainment facilities, caught fire on Sunday afternoon. It was brought under control in two hours by the rescue teams. The federal capital administration has sealed the premises of Centaurus Mall in the wake of the fire incident and in the exercise of powers conferred under Civil Defense Rules 1951 and other enabling provisions of law.

The committee would present its final report in two days to the interior ministry.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken the notice of the incident and asked the institutions concerned to conduct an immediate inquiry. Later, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had directing the Islamabad administration and fire brigade to find the reasons for the fire should be examined so those responsible could be determined.

Sanaullah had said that a detailed report of the fire should be submitted to the interior ministry.

However, the incident took a political turn on Monday when PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur claimed that there was a conspiracy behind the blaze.

The authorities had also registered a case against four people for obstructing government officials from performing their duties.

Centaurus Mall is owned by PTI leader Tanvir Ilyas, who is currently the prime minister of the Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). His spokespersons have warned that the party will stage a protest in Islamabad against the PMLN-led federal government.

Several videos taken inside and outside the building showed flames leaping out of windows and toward the ground from the fourth floor as panicked shoppers tried to flee.

One video showed people climbing down escalators that had stopped. No emergency staircase was seen in any of the videos.