A powerful fire broke out in the Arshi shopping mall in Karachi’s Ayesha Manzil area on Wednesday evening, leaving three people dead and two injured.

The six-storeyed building, consisted of two commercial floors (ground and mezzanine), while the remaining four were residential.

Several people trapped in the residential floors of the building above the shops were rescued but lost their belongings to the inferno. The fire was so intense that clouds of black smoke could be seen from many kilometres away.

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Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed the tragic loss of three lives in the devastating fire at Arshi Mall. Two people who sustained burn injuries are under treatment. He also went to the spot to monitor rescue efforts late at night.


K-Electric cut off the electricity supply to the area to avoid further damage. They also participated in rescue efforts.


The fire severely impacted approximately 100 shops, warehouses, and 450 flats.


Shopkeepers have stated that their entire stock had been burned to the ground. They demanded financial compensation from the government for their losses.


The fire erupted around 5:47pm.


It originated in a clothes shop and rapidly spread to neighbouring stores selling foam and furniture.


The Director of Rescue 1122 stated that approximately 300 individuals have been evacuated from the building.


This is the second fire in 12 days in Karachi and probably not the last as experts say more than 90 per cent of the industries, residential buildings, and structures in Karachi, which is the largest industrial hub in Pakistan, lack fire safety arrangements as building codes were not being implemented by the authorities concerned, reported Geo.