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Karachi High-Rise Blaze Contained as Sindh Reports 91% Fire-Safety Noncompliance

Fresh inspections are prompting orders to seal high-risk buildings after recent urban fires exposed systemic gaps in protection.

Overview

  • A basement parking fire at an eight-storey residential block near Karachi’s Baloch Colony was brought under control after several hours, with roughly 100–150 people evacuated and no immediate casualties reported.
  • Rescue 1122 said the blaze likely began with a short circuit in a parked car and spread to other vehicles, as officials noted the building lacked a fire safety system and adequate ventilation.
  • Firefighting involved multiple engines, snorkels and tenders, and K-Electric said it isolated the feeder and staff helped save at least 25 people.
  • A Sindh government committee reported that 91.3% of 3,633 inspected buildings lack basic fire-safety arrangements, identifying 889 as high risk and triggering directives to seal violators and speed up fixes.
  • Separately, a warehouse near Lahore’s Barkat Market storing plastic chairs remained on fire for hours as Rescue 1122 deployed a large response, evacuated nearby buildings and reported no casualties so far.