KARACHI: A large-scale fire that erupted early Sunday morning in a factory located within the Landhi Export Processing Zone continued to burn into Monday, more than 31 hours after it first broke out, officials confirmed.
Fire department officials said the blaze, intensified by strong winds and chemical materials on site, spread rapidly, consuming not only the main factory but also an adjacent clothing warehouse and a plastic manufacturing unit.
As of Monday afternoon, fire personnel reported that nearly 70% of the flames had been brought under control, with no threat of further spread to nearby facilities. However, significant hotspots remained active, and the cooling operation was expected to take several more hours.
Fire Officer Arif Mansoori said at least twelve fire engines were actively engaged in the firefighting effort. Over 20 fire-tenders from various departments were deployed at the site, where dense smoke and water shortages have hampered operations.
Rescue officials confirmed that the fire had been declared a third-degree blaze, the most severe category, due to the scale of the damage and hazardous materials involved. At least five firefighters were injured when part of the building collapsed during the rescue operation. One of them remains in critical condition.
Authorities stated that one factory was completely destroyed, while another suffered structural damage and has been declared unsafe. Valuable inventory, including chemicals, textiles, and plastic goods, was lost in the inferno.
Emergency services were first alerted to the fire around 4:50am on Sunday, but by the time teams arrived, flames had already engulfed multiple structures.
Officials have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire, though an investigation is underway.
The incident marks the second major industrial fire in Landhi in recent weeks. In a similar event last month, a garments factory near Murtaza Chowrangi was gutted, with damages running into millions of rupees.
In that previous case, emergency teams deployed smoke injectors to ventilate the building and managed to contain the fire after several hours of intense effort.
