Manzar Naqvi
KARACHI: Karachi was shaken to its core on Sunday as a massive fire at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road claimed at least six lives, including a firefighter, injured more than 30 people, and left dozens feared trapped, laying bare the city’s chronic failures in fire safety, emergency preparedness and urban governance.
The blaze, which erupted late Saturday night, spread rapidly through the multi-storey commercial building and continued to burn for more than 12 hours despite large-scale firefighting efforts. Rescue officials confirmed that two sections of the plaza collapsed during operations, while the remaining structure has been declared critically unsafe, raising fears of further casualties.
Among the dead was firefighter Furqan of the Nazimabad Fire Office, who lost his life while attempting to rescue those trapped inside. His death has highlighted the extreme risks faced by emergency responders operating in hazardous conditions, often without adequate infrastructure support. Other victims included shopkeepers and workers who were reportedly inside the building when the fire broke out.
According to rescue authorities, around 60 per cent of the fire has been controlled, but intense heat, thick smoke and the plaza’s sealed design prevented firefighters from entering the building for hours.
Rescue 1122 spokespersons said trapped individuals were being assisted through snorkels, while more than 20 fire tenders, snorkel vehicles and foam units were deployed at the site, with assistance from Sindh Rangers and Pakistan Navy teams.
Hospital officials confirmed that four bodies were brought to the Civil Hospital Trauma Centre, while two injured later succumbed to their wounds, raising the death toll to six. Eleven injured persons remain in critical condition. Several others were treated and discharged.
Traders’ representatives warned that the tragedy may be far greater than currently confirmed. The president of the traders’ association said between 80 and 100 people were believed to have been inside Gul Plaza at the time of the fire, including staff and shopkeepers who stayed behind after customers had left. Six women who had reportedly come for wedding shopping remain missing, with families anxiously awaiting information.
Gul Plaza, one of Karachi’s oldest commercial complexes, houses more than 1,200 shops, many stocked with goods worth crores of rupees. Traders estimate financial losses running into billions. The fire is believed to have originated in a ground-floor shop selling artificial flowers – a highly flammable commodity – before spreading rapidly through the building.
Rescue officials also expressed concern over the structural integrity of nearby buildings, reporting cracks in adjacent plazas and warning of a potential cascading collapse. MA Jinnah Road was closed to traffic between Anklesaria Chowk and Central Plaza, with diversions put in place to facilitate rescue operations.
Beyond the immediate human and economic toll, the Gul Plaza fire has reignited serious questions about Karachi’s enforcement of building and fire safety regulations. The plaza reportedly lacked proper ventilation, functional fire exits and modern fire suppression systems – deficiencies common across many of the city’s aging commercial buildings.
Political leaders at the federal and provincial levels expressed grief and announced inquiries. The Sindh Chief Minister ordered a detailed investigation into the causes of the fire and directed authorities to conduct fire safety audits of commercial buildings across the city. Instructions were also issued to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured and assistance for affected traders.
While these assurances were welcomed, traders voiced frustration over what they described as delayed and ineffective response, claiming that senior civic leadership failed to reach out in the critical early hours of the disaster.
Karachi has witnessed similar tragedies in the past, where inquiries and promises followed deadly fires, only for enforcement to fade once public attention shifted. The Gul Plaza inferno has once again underscored the cost of neglect – measured not only in billions of rupees lost, but in human lives that might have been saved through basic safety compliance.
As rescue efforts continue and families search for missing loved ones, the city waits to see whether this tragedy will finally prompt lasting reform, or become yet another grim chapter in Karachi’s long history of preventable disasters.
