Fire tears through Karachi furniture market and spreads to homes — but no one is hurt
A fire tore through a furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Johar area on Friday, 30 October, spreading to a nearby residential building before firefighters brought it under control. No one was hurt.
Four fire tenders and a water bowser were used, and crews stayed on site afterwards to cool the area so the flames did not start again, officials said. Rescue 1122 said the blaze in the residential building was also brought under control.
Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan confirmed there had been no loss of life. The cause of the fire and the scale of the financial damage had not been officially established when the reports were published.
A shopkeeper at the market, Asghar, said the market had 20 shops and claimed the losses ran into crores of rupees. He said the fire was reported on the Karachi police Madadgar-15 helpline, but fire tenders took 15 to 20 minutes to arrive, by which time the flames had spread.
This is the second time the market has burned in less than two years. It was hit by a major fire on 31 December 2024, when more than 30 shops were gutted. No one was hurt in that fire either, and officials said its cause was never determined.
Why it matters
The fire is a reminder of how exposed Karachi’s small traders are. A single blaze can wipe out years of work in a market of wooden furniture and stored goods, and shopkeepers here have now lost their stock twice in under two years.
It also follows the deadly Gul Plaza fire in January, which put fire safety in the city’s commercial buildings under scrutiny. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered a province-wide fire safety audit. The Sindh Building Control Authority found 90% of the buildings it surveyed in the city’s eastern, central and southern districts lacked fire-safety arrangements. More than 300 building owners were sent notices warning their buildings could be sealed.
What happens next
Investigators still need to establish what started the fire and how much was lost. Shopkeepers will need an official assessment before they can claim insurance or seek help to rebuild, and residents of the damaged building will need to know when it is safe to return.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://islamabadpost.com.pk/fire-tears-through-karachi-furniture-market-near-kamran-chowrangi/ (Islamabad Post, 30 October 2026)
- https://theazb.com/karachi-fire-at-furniture-market-near-kamran-chowrangi-brought-under-control/ (The AZB, 30 October 2026)
- https://www.thenews.pk/update/national (The News, 30 October 2026)
