Firefighters in Karachi are trying to contain a fire at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar on Friday after flames spread to a nearby residential building, officials have said.
Four fire tenders and a water bowser are taking part in the firefighting operation, according to Rescue officials. Fire brigade officials said that the main blaze had been brought under control while cooling operations were continuing to prevent it from reigniting.
The fire also spread to an adjoining residential building, but Rescue 1122 confirmed that firefighters had brought the blaze under control. Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan said no casualties had been reported.
Speaking to the media after the operation, Khan confirmed that four fire tenders and a water bowser were being used to extinguish the fire. He added that the situation was under control and there had been no loss of life.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the financial losses have not yet been determined.
A shopkeeper, Asghar, told the news media that the market housed 20 shops and claimed that the fire had caused losses worth crores of rupees. He added that someone had reported the incident to Karachi police’s Madadgar-15 helpline.
Asghar claimed that firefighters took around 15 to 20 minutes to reach the market, by which time the flames had spread across the premises.
He also mentioned that the same market had caught fire in 2025. According to Asghar, the shops had been established on a commercial plot.
The market was previously hit by a major fire on December 31, 2024. A private media outlet reported that more than 30 shops were gutted in the incident, while officials had said that the cause of the fire remained undetermined.
