Gul Plaza Fire: Shopkeepers who entered to save others didn't return

Karachi: In one of the deadliest tragedies in Karachi’s history, several shopkeepers who entered Gul Plaza to save people trapped in a massive fire failed to return.

The blaze at Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road has left at least 26 people dead, while 75 others remain missing.

According to a member of the plaza’s management committee, the fire erupted due to a short circuit at a flower shop near Gate No. 3 and engulfed the entire ground floor within 10 minutes. Despite initial fire safety arrangements, the flames spread rapidly and reached as high as the mezzanine floor.

The fire reportedly started at 10:10 p.m., while the first fire brigade vehicle arrived at 11:15 p.m. and ran out of water within minutes.

Subsequent firefighting efforts were hampered by repeated shortages of water and diesel, with operations continuing intermittently throughout the night.

The committee member revealed that several individuals who had already exited the building safely re-entered to rescue others on the mezzanine. While they managed to evacuate between 100 and 250 people, many of the rescuers were unable to return.

Rescue workers said the bodies recovered from the site were burned beyond recognition. Cooling operations are expected to continue for another 24 to 36 hours, according to rescue officials.

The fire, which broke out on January 17 around 10:00 p.m., was brought under control after 34 hours. Authorities have declared the building structurally unsafe.

Rescue teams, supported by the Army, Rangers, and civil administration, are continuing search operations for missing persons as engineers assess the stability of the damaged structure.

Three teenage boys from Karachi’s Lyari working at Gul Plaza remain missing.

As per details, three teenage boys named Hamza, 13, Hassam, 15, and Abdus Samad, 16, residents of Lyari’s Cheel Chowk area, remain missing following the deadly fire. All three worked at shops in Gul Plaza and have not been traced so far.

Abdus Samad’s father, Muhammad Abdul Rehman, has been left devastated by the tragedy. Overcome with grief due to his son’s disappearance, he collapsed at the scene.

Families from Lyari staged a strong protest, holding photographs of the missing children and chanting slogans against the authorities, demanding answers and urgent action.