A major fire broke out at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi, on Friday, sending thick smoke into the air and causing panic among shopkeepers and nearby residents. Firefighters worked hard to bring the blaze under control after flames spread from the market to an adjoining residential building.
According to rescue sources, four fire tenders and one water bowser were rushed to the site. The main fire was extinguished after continuous efforts, and cooling operations continued to stop any chance of the flames returning. Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan confirmed that the situation was fully under control and that no lives were lost in the incident.
Shopkeepers at the market shared their painful experience. One trader named Asghar said the market has about 20 shops and estimated the damage in crores of rupees. He explained that the fire was first reported to the Madadgar-15 helpline, but firefighters took nearly 15 to 20 minutes to reach the location. By the time they arrived, the flames had already spread widely across the shops.
Asghar also recalled that the same market had suffered a big fire last year as well. The shops stand on a commercial plot, and traders feel the repeated fires have put their livelihoods at serious risk. Officials have not yet announced the exact cause of the fire or the full amount of financial loss.
This incident comes months after the deadly Gul Plaza fire earlier this year that killed many people and forced authorities to take stronger action on fire safety. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had ordered a province-wide audit of commercial buildings. The Sindh Building Control Authority later found that most buildings in several districts lacked proper fire safety systems and issued notices to hundreds of owners.
Despite the earlier warnings and sealing of some unsafe buildings, many markets in Karachi still face serious safety gaps. Traders and residents now hope that authorities will take stricter steps so that such fires do not keep happening again and again in the city.
