Fire destroys 35 shops at furniture market in Karachi

Blaze near Kamran Chowrangi also damages an adjacent residential building; no casualties reported

KARACHI:

A fire that broke out at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar was brought under control after a firefighting operation, destroying around 35 shops and 10 to 12 shanties, along with the goods stored inside them. No casualties were reported.

The fire also spread to an adjacent residential building, but firefighters brought the blaze under control there before it caused further damage.

According to details, the fire erupted late on Thursday night at an open-air furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Block 11 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Two fire engines and a Rescue 1122 team, accompanied by a fire truck and an ambulance, reached the site shortly after receiving the alert and launched firefighting operations.

The Fire Brigade spokesperson said the department received the alert at 1:35am and its vehicles reached the site within 10 minutes. However, dry weather and strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly within minutes.

Massive fire engulfs furniture market in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Johar. major fire erupted overnight at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi, causing heavy financial losses to local shopkeepers.
Flames quickly spread across multiple shops and… pic.twitter.com/rqPNVUb0hp

— The Express Tribune (@etribune) October 30, 2026

According to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation spokesperson, an emergency was declared at the Safoora hydrant to ensure a continuous supply of water following a request by Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Humayun Khan.

Police and Rangers personnel also arrived at the scene, while a K-Electric team disconnected the area's power supply as a precautionary measure. A large number of onlookers gathered on surrounding roads to watch the operation, causing severe traffic congestion.

As the fire intensified, three additional fire engines and a water bowser were dispatched to the site. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Fire Brigade deployed four fire engines and a water bowser, while three additional fire tenders from other departments, including Rescue 1122, also took part in the operation.

Read: Ambulance fire death toll rises to 10

Firefighters brought the blaze under control after approximately one-and-a-half hours of effort, while cooling operations continued until around 5am.

Affected shopkeepers said the market had been operating for around 50 years and that valuable furniture and other goods worth millions of rupees had been reduced to ashes. They added that the same market had also witnessed a fire last year.

Appealing to the Sindh government for financial assistance, the traders said the affected shopkeepers had lost their livelihoods within a few hours and needed support to rebuild their businesses and get back on their feet.

CFO Khan said fire incidents tended to increase during dry weather. He said the blaze had erupted at furniture shops established on an open plot and that negligence on the part of people living in the nearby shanties could have caused it, possibly after a spark landed on the furniture.

He added that the extent of the financial losses had yet to be assessed and that an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire.

Previous fire incidents

Early in September, a fire broke out at an old-clothes factory in Karachi’s Landhi Export Processing Zone (EPZ), prompting a large-scale response from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122, Sindh Rangers and police.

The blaze later spread to an adjacent factory, while part of the original factory building also collapsed, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said.

According to fire brigade officials, the factory comprised a ground floor and two upper storeys. The fire initially broke out on the ground floor before spreading to the upper floors. Officials said the smoke was particularly intense, with firefighting operations being conducted from outside the building.

Two men and a woman were initially reported to be in critical condition due to suffocation at the time, according to Chhipa sources. The woman was taken to Jinnah Hospital after rescue teams and ambulances reached the scene.

In August, a fire tore through the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Wednesday morning, killing 14 babies and leaving only one newborn girl among those inside rescued alive.

The fire prompted authorities across Pakistan to review fire-safety arrangements at healthcare facilities and other public buildings.

In Sindh, a fire-safety assessment of 22 government hospitals found widespread shortcomings, including a lack of fire alarms, sprinklers and adequate firefighting equipment. The provincial chief secretary subsequently gave departments 15 days to certify that public buildings under their control complied with fire-safety regulations.

The tragedy also led to increased inspections and enforcement in Islamabad. The CDA sealed three buildings over fire-safety violations and later conducted a fire drill at Parliament House, while the Islamabad High Court sought a government report on fire-safety audits and mandatory NOCs for buildings in the capital.

Punjab also ordered fresh safety checks following the fire at PIMS. The provincial health regulator directed public and private hospitals to strengthen emergency preparedness, conduct fire-safety audits and hold regular drills, while Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered reviews of firefighting equipment, emergency exits, hydrants and electrical systems at public health facilities.

On January 17, 2026, a fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall killed over 70 people and injured over 20. The Sindh government formed a single-member judicial commission on February 4 to probe the cause of the tragedy.

The commission found that the dangers at the plaza were known well before the tragedy. Civil Defence inspections in 2024 and 2025 had identified the absence of fire-safety equipment, the presence of inflammable commercial material and deficiencies in exit routes. Yet the identified shortcomings were not rectified and no effective legal action followed.

The building's management was also held responsible for failing to rectify known defects. Its regularised plan provided for 1,102 shops, while 1,153 shops were actually operating in the building, with large quantities of inflammable commercial goods stored inside.

The Sindh Building Control Authority, too, could not escape responsibility by relying on the position that inspections were conducted only on complaints, the commission said. The Sindh Building Control Ordinance gave the authority powers to take corrective action against dangerous buildings, while Gul Plaza's incomplete records and ineffective fire-safety oversight also reflected institutional failure.

Read More: Fire safety crackdown puts fuel stations on the block

Overall, the commission rejected the idea that the tragedy could be attributed to one department, one institution or one government. It found that the legal powers, audit mechanisms, building-control authorities, firefighting services and emergency-response institutions existed across different periods.

But the system as a whole failed to function effectively. The victims did not die from fire alone. Delays, darkness, blocked exits, obstructive windows, inactive safety systems, ineffective oversight and rescue opportunities that were not used in time all contributed to the loss of life.

In March, a fire erupted at a private supermarket in the Zamzama area, but emergency teams successfully evacuated all management personnel inside the building, and no casualties were reported.

Six fire tenders were deployed to control the fire and while the blaze was largely brought under control, it was dense smoke that remained a major challenge.

It was reported in March that the port city had witnessed nearly 240 fire incidents that far into the year, leaving at least 99 people dead, several others injured, and causing financial losses worth millions of rupees.