KARACHI: During a hearing of the Gul Plaza fire judicial commission, led by Sindh High Court Justice Agha Faisal, various officials including fire brigade personnel, rescue agencies, and local administration representatives provided their statements.
The Director General of Rescue 1122 and officials from the local administration appeared before the commission to testify. The D.G. Rescue 1122 stated that the outcome could have been different had they been informed earlier. When asked by Justice Agha Faisal whether any rescues were carried out upon arrival at the scene, the officer responded that the ground floor was entirely consumed by flames and the gates on that level were closed.
Tanveer Pasta, President of the Gul Plaza Market Association, clarified that none of the 16 gates of the shopping mall had been shut. The judicial commission inquired if the union had standard operating procedures (SOPs) for emergencies, to which Pasta replied that they had 65 fire extinguishers and fire balls, and that they did their best to manage the situation after the fire broke out.
Justice Faisal questioned the fire officer about the possible causes of the fire, its rapid spread, and the casualties. The Chief Fire Officer commented that the situation might have been better managed if the lighting had not been turned off.The hearing was adjourned until 10:30 AM the following day (Thursday) for further proceedings.
Meanwhile, the families of those who perished in the fire criticized the rescue efforts during the tragic incident, which completely destroyed the mall and resulted in numerous fatalities. They claimed that lives could have been saved if heavy machinery from the Green Line project had been utilized. The families pointed out that although fire and rescue teams were on-site, there was a water shortage, and the fire tanker arrived after two hours, by which time the building was filled with smoke.
They also reported that trapped individuals were seen signaling for help through mobile phone lights from the windows. Despite requests to break the windows for rescue, the administration reportedly ignored these pleas.The devastating fire erupted on Saturday night, January 17, engulfing Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road. The blaze lasted over 32 hours before it was brought under control, revealing deficiencies in the city’s emergency response system.
In response, the Sindh government announced the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the causes and circumstances surrounding the deadly fire.
