Major fire at Pakistan’s Kamran Chowrangi furniture market spreads to nearby building

A major fire erupted at a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar on Friday (Oct 30), spreading to an adjacent residential building before fire crews brought it under control. As per Geo News, no casualties were reported in the incident. Rescue 1122 and Karachi Fire Brigade deployed four fire tenders and a water bowser to combat the blaze. Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan confirmed that firefighters successfully contained the flames and initiated cooling operations to prevent any reignition. While the fire reached a neighbouring residential structure, emergency responders managed to secure the site without any loss of life or injuries.

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The official cause of the fire and the total extent of property damage remain under investigation. According to Asghar, a local shopkeeper, who spoke to Geo News, the affected market consists of 20 shops set up on a commercial plot. He estimated that the incident resulted in financial losses running into crores of rupees. Asghar noted that emergency services were contacted via the police helpline (Madadgar-15), but reported that firefighters took 15 to 20 minutes to reach the scene, allowing the flames to spread rapidly through the market area.

This marks the second fire at the same location in under two years. On December 31, 2024, a massive blaze destroyed more than 30 shops at the market, though no casualties occurred in that instance either.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns regarding fire safety infrastructure across Karachi's commercial hubs. Following a deadly fire at Gul Plaza earlier this year, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered a province-wide safety audit and reinstated annual mandatory inspections for commercial premises.

A survey conducted by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) revealed that nearly 90 per cent of evaluated buildings across Karachi’s Eastern, Central, and Southern districts lacked essential fire-safety equipment. Consequently, authorities issued warnings to over 300 building owners, leading to enforcement actions—including the sealing of two major commercial structures in the Saddar area in February—for non-compliance with safety regulations.