Fire at mobile market in Karachi’s Saddar brought under control

2026-02-02 - 15:56

KARACHI: A large fire that erupted on Monday evening at Saddar’s mobile market was brought under control, according to police and rescue officials. South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the fire broke out on the 7th floor parking of the Al Najeeb mobile market at around 07:45pm. He said the fire had erupted in a parking area located on the 7th floor of a high-rise building. He said that three cars were damaged in the blaze. He said the fire had been controlled while cooling work was ongoing. Rescue 1122 said that two people had been rescued. It said that the two had been affected due to the inhaling the smoke and were being provided medical aid. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the situation was “under control so far” and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) fire tenders and snorkels were present on the ground to tackle the situation. “People are being evacuated as we speak. Will keep everyone posted,” he said. He also urged the crowd to “stay back” so that rescue work could be carried out. A statement by his office said he had taken immediate notice of the fire and directed the fire brigade to reach the site immediately. “Ensure the safety of people’s lives and assets at any cost and speed up the rescue operation,” he directed. He also instructed officials to be on standby. In a statement, Sindh Inspector General Javed Alam Odho directed the South senior superintendent and the South superintendent traffic to reach the site. He directed the officials to secure the area around the site. He also directed officials to clear the way for ambulances and rescue teams. The incident comes a little over two weeks after a huge fire erupted at Karachi’s Gul Plaza, which claimed the lives of 73 people on January 17. More to follow