Fire destroys 35 shops at Karachi furniture market, no casualties
A fire at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar destroyed around 35 shops and 10 to 12 shanties. No casualties were reported.
- About 35 shops and 10 to 12 shanties were destroyed in Block 11 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
- No casualties were reported; the fire reached a nearby residential building but was contained.
- Firefighters controlled the blaze after about an hour and a half.
- Traders asked the Sindh government for financial assistance.
A fire at an open-air furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi, destroyed around 35 shops and 10 to 12 shanties, along with the goods stored inside them, officials said. No casualties were reported.
The fire broke out late on Thursday night in Block 11 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. It also spread to an adjoining residential building, but firefighters brought it under control before it caused further damage.
A Fire Brigade spokesperson told The Express Tribune the department received the alert at 1:35am and its vehicles reached the site within 10 minutes. Two fire engines and a Rescue 1122 team, with a fire truck and an ambulance, arrived shortly after the alert.
The KMC Fire Brigade deployed four fire engines and a water bowser, and three more fire tenders from other departments, including Rescue 1122, joined in. Firefighters controlled the blaze after about an hour and a half, and cooling operations continued until around 5am.
According to fire officials, dry weather and strong winds caused the flames to spread rapidly. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation declared an emergency at the Safoora hydrant after Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan asked for help. Police and Rangers reached the scene, and a K-Electric team disconnected the area's power supply as a precaution. Crowds gathered on nearby roads and caused heavy traffic congestion.
Chief Fire Officer Khan said the fire started at furniture shops on an open plot and that negligence by people in nearby shanties could have caused it, possibly after a spark landed on the furniture. He said fire incidents tended to increase during dry weather. He said the extent of the financial losses had yet to be assessed and an investigation into the cause was underway.
Shopkeepers said the market had operated for around 50 years and that goods worth millions of rupees were destroyed. They said the same market had also seen a fire last year. Traders appealed to the Sindh government for financial assistance to rebuild their businesses.
Why it matters
Dozens of shopkeepers and nearby residents in Karachi lost stock, premises or homes in the blaze, and traders are asking the Sindh government for financial help.
