Overnight fire guts several furniture shops in Karachi market

A fire broke out in a furniture market in Karachi late Monday, gutting around 30 shops before being brought under control overnight, a fire official confirmed early Tuesday.

The affected furniture market is located near Kamran Chowrangi in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of the metropolis.

Fire Officer Zafar confirmed that six fire tenders were deployed to extinguish the blaze, which left over 30 shops completely gutted.

The conflagration was so intense that its towering flames and plumes of thick smoke were visible from several kilometres away.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the fire officer said, adding that no loss of life has been reported so far.

After the fire was reported, authorities were alerted promptly. Six vehicles of the fire brigade department were immediately dispatched to the site.

The massive inferno comes over a week after a fire erupted in a multi-storey building on MA Jinnah Road on December 19, marking the building's second blaze incident in only two weeks.

According to sources from the fire brigade, the fire broke out in a flat on the first floor of the multi-storey building, named Rimpa Plaza, which also houses various business offices.

Snorkels and several fire brigade vehicles brought the fire under control. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported.

The Rimpa Plaza building previously witnessed a fire over two weeks ago on December 3. The fire broke out in a flat on the first floor of the building before spreading to the upper floors. Individuals inside the affected building at the time were safely evacuated.

The same building's seventh floor suffered a conflagration in May last year, reportedly in a spare parts warehouse.

After the December 3 fire, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah urged the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and relevant authorities to inspect high-rise buildings to prevent similar incidents in the future.