Fire brigade officials have revealed details about the fire at Gul Plaza located on Karachi’s busiest M.A. Jinnah Road.
Officials stated that the fire started at 10:14 PM on Saturday night in a shop selling artificial plants and flowers; Rescue 1122 was informed about the fire at 10:38 PM. They reported that two Rescue 1122 fire tenders arrived at 10:57 PM, and Gul Plaza has approximately 14-16 entry and exit points, but narrow access routes caused difficulties in firefighting. They said smoke had filled all entry and exit points of the building, and there was a water shortage during the 2-3 hours of firefighting, with water tankers getting stuck near Guru Mandir due to construction work.
Firefighting Challenges
Fire brigade officials noted that the lack of crowd and traffic management also prevented the water shortage from being addressed immediately, and sections of the building have collapsed at three different locations.
Foam Used on First Day
Chief Fire Officer stated that foam was used for firefighting on the first day itself, and 90% of the Gul Plaza fire has been extinguished. He added that 10% of the fire remains in the materials inside the building, the structure is unstable, and by late night, the fire in all ground-floor shops was put out.
No Damage to Parked Vehicles
The fire brigade said parking is established on the roof of Gul Plaza with multiple motorcycles and cars present; vehicles and motorcycles parked on the roof were not damaged by the fire.
Casualty Update
It may be recalled that the Gul Plaza fire was completely extinguished after 33 hours, with 4 more bodies recovered from the burned building, bringing the death toll to 14 while 22 injured are under treatment. According to the Chief Fire Officer, cooling operations continue at the plaza, windows are being cut with cutters, and walls are being demolished with hammers. Firefighters successfully entered the building on Sunday night during rescue operations due to the possibility of someone trapped on the third floor.
