Karachi fire: furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi gutted, blaze spreads to residential building; no one hurt

A fire tore through the furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar overnight and spread to an adjoining residential building, The News reported on Friday 30 October. Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan said there was no loss of life and the main blaze was under control, with cooling under way to stop it flaring up again. Geo News first reported the fire late on Thursday night.

What we know

• Where: the furniture market near Kamran Chowrangi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi East.
• Fire fighting: four fire tenders and a water bowser, a Rescue source said. Rescue 1122 said the fire in the residential building was also brought under control.
• Casualties: none reported.
• Losses: traders say furniture and stock worth crores of rupees were destroyed. One shopkeeper, Asghar, said the market has about 20 shops. No official damage estimate has been given.
• Cause: not yet determined.

"15 to 20 minutes"

Asghar told The News the fire was reported to the Madadgar-15 helpline but firefighters took about 15 to 20 minutes to arrive, by which time it had spread through the market. He said the market had caught fire before. On 31 December 2024 a blaze at the same market destroyed around 30 shops, Aaj News and Geo reported at the time; that cause was never established either.

If you run a shop in a market like this

Furniture markets are full of wood, foam, lacquer and fabric, which is why fires in them spread so fast. Practical steps traders in Karachi can take now:

1. Save the numbers: Rescue 1122 and the fire brigade on 16 in Karachi, plus Madadgar 15.
2. Keep an extinguisher (a dry powder type suits most shops) where you can reach it from the door, and check its pressure gauge.
3. Do not leave chargers, heaters or UPS batteries running overnight, and keep foam and polish away from the switchboard.
4. Insure the stock. Most small traders carry none, so a single night like this wipes out years of savings.

If you are replacing a UPS or batteries after a fire, the battery backup calculator helps you size a safe system for your load.