KARACHI: A fire broke out at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar on Friday, spreading to an adjoining residential building before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Rescue teams deployed four fire tenders and a water bowser to extinguish the flames, while cooling operations were launched to prevent the fire from flaring up again.
Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan told the media that the main blaze had been controlled and confirmed that no casualties had been reported.
Rescue 1122 officials also confirmed that the fire had spread to a nearby residential building but was subsequently brought under control.
The cause of the incident and the financial losses caused by the fire have yet to be determined.
Traders report losses worth millions
A shopkeeper, identified as Asghar, told reporters that around 20 shops were operating in the market and claimed that the fire had caused losses worth crores of rupees.
He said the incident was reported to the Karachi police’s Madadgar-15 helpline, alleging that firefighters arrived at the scene after a delay of around 15 to 20 minutes, by which time the flames had spread across the market.
Asghar further revealed that the same market had experienced a fire last year as well. He said the shops had been established on a commercial plot.
The market was previously hit by a major blaze on December 31, 2024, when more than 30 shops were gutted media reported that no casualties were recorded, while authorities were unable to establish the cause of that fire.
Gul Plaza tragedy puts fire safety under spotlight
The latest incident comes amid renewed concerns over fire safety arrangements in Karachi’s commercial buildings following the deadly Gul Plaza fire in January this year.
After the tragedy, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered a province-wide fire safety inspection of major government, private and commercial buildings.
The chief minister also approved the resumption of annual safety inspections of commercial properties, a practice that had been discontinued several years ago.
An earlier audit by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) found that nearly 90% of the buildings surveyed in Karachi’s eastern, central and southern districts lacked adequate fire safety arrangements.
The authority subsequently issued notices to more than 300 building owners, warning that properties could be sealed if the required safety measures were not implemented.
In February, the district administration also sealed two major commercial buildings in Karachi’s Saddar area over violations of fire safety regulations.
