Shopping Mall Fire
A fire erupted in Karachi’s Ayesha Manzil at the Arshi shopping mall, causing extensive damage to shops and residential flats. The blaze started in a shop beneath a residential building and rapidly spread to adjacent shops, vehicles, and trees. The fire extended to the upper floors, affecting residential quarters. At least two individuals sustained injuries, with one reported in critical condition, having suffered 100% burns. The injured were taken to the Burns Centre at the Civil Hospital.
Firefighters from the Karachi Fire Brigade Department, employing seven fire engines, a snorkel, and a water bowser, worked to control the blaze. The presence of foam and furniture in the shops fueled the fire’s rapid spread. Numerous parked cars and motorcycles were destroyed, disrupting traffic on Shahrah-e-Pakistan as authorities sought to contain the fire and evacuate residents.
SSP Central Faisal Abdullah revealed that the fire originated in a foam shop, spreading to nearby stores containing flammable materials, intensifying into an inferno. Eyewitnesses claimed some people self-evacuated, alleging delayed response from the fire brigade.
Sindh Rescue 1122 Director Abid Shaikh categorized the blaze as a third-category fire, affecting a building with commercial spaces on the ground and mezzanine floors and residential quarters on the upper levels. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab stated that firefighting efforts were underway, prioritizing life-saving measures. The number of occupants remained unknown.
Police engaged in evacuating residents trapped in the residential quarters. In a similar incident last year at Jail Chowrangi, a fire in a store’s basement led to significant property damage, requiring 45 hours of firefighting efforts. Tragically, one person succumbed to asphyxiation during that fire.
