KARACHI: Firefighters have extinguished a fire that erupted at a commercial building in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi close to the site where a deadly blaze killed dozens of people last month, the city’s deputy mayor said on Monday.
The fire erupted at a building near the Mobile Phone Market in Karachi’s Saddar business district, according to Karachi Deputy Mayor Salman Murad.
Two people were rescued in the incident who were given medical assistance by a Rescue 1122 ambulance on the spot, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said.
“The fire brigade and rescue agencies took timely action. Thank God, there was no loss of life,” Murad said in a statement.
“The cause of fire is being determined and the losses of affected shopkeepers will be assessed.”
The incident occurred close to Gul Plaza, a multi-story shopping complex, where a fire last month killed at least 67 people and gutted 1,200 shops, with more than 15 people still missing.
Fire incidents have become an increasingly frequent occurrence in Karachi, a megacity of more than 20 million people, where fire services remain severely overstretched and under-resourced relative to population density and the scale of commercial activity.
Thousands rallied in Karachi on Sunday to demand the resignations of local officials and systemic reforms, underscoring deepening public anger over civic failures in Pakistan’s largest city.
