Karachi – An explosion in a fireworks warehouse located inside a building on MA Jinnah Road sparked a massive fire on Wednesday.
Rescue teams and fire brigade officials rushed to the scene and were making efforts to bring the blaze under control.
According to Police Surgeon Dr. Samia Tariq, at least 25 people were injured in the explosion.
Seventeen of them were shifted to Jinnah Hospital and ten to Civil Hospital, with four patients at Jinnah reported to be in critical condition.
DIG South Asad Raza stated that several nearby vehicles were badly damaged by the blast, while windows of surrounding buildings were also shattered.
Authorities confirmed that oxygen cylinders stored in medical equipment shops within the same building had been safely removed to prevent further danger.
Karachi has witnessed several tragic fire and explosion incidents in the past ten years, often linked to poor safety measures, illegal storage of hazardous materials, and overcrowded commercial buildings.
One of the deadliest incidents was the 2012 Baldia Town factory fire, which killed more than 250 workers, marking it as the worst industrial disaster in Pakistan’s history.
In 2020, a massive fire broke out at a multi-storey building on Karachi’s Shahrah-e-Faisal, causing multiple casualties and highlighting the lack of emergency exits and firefighting systems in commercial properties.
The city has also seen repeated fire accidents in warehouses at Sher Shah, Bolton Market, and Saddar, often fueled by unsafe storage of chemicals, fireworks, or flammable goods.
These incidents reveal a recurring pattern of negligence, inadequate fire safety compliance, and lack of monitoring by authorities.
Despite repeated tragedies, enforcement of building codes and industrial safety standards remains weak, making Karachi particularly vulnerable to such disasters.
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Strengthening regulatory oversight, training building staff in fire safety, and ensuring the availability of firefighting equipment are essential steps to prevent further loss of life and property.
