KARACHI: In a chilling televised account, a woman who survived the devastating Gul Plaza fire presented a harrowing eyewitness narrative, disputing initial theories about the disaster’s cause and revealing the immense personal loss suffered by shopkeepers.
Appearing on ARY Digital’s ‘Good Morning Pakistan’, the shopkeeper, who operated a basement store, described the moments panic erupted last Saturday night. “At 10:07 am, voices came that there was a fire,” she recounted. “There was a lot of smoke in the basement. The smoke was so much that even the person in front could not be seen.” She and others fled immediately, a decision that saved their lives.
By 10:20, when they reached outside, the inferno was unstoppable. “The fire that started from gate number three was spreading to gate number one,” she said, providing a clear timeline of the blaze’s rapid spread.
Challenging the preliminary short-circuit theory, she argued, “If this had happened, two to three shops would have been damaged,” implying the scale and speed suggested a more significant cause.
Her testimony also laid bare the profound financial ruin for traders. Fearing Karachi‘s prevalent looting, she had kept her life savings in the shop. “All my savings along with the shop were burnt to ashes,” she disclosed, a sentiment echoing the loss of countless others in the bustling commercial hub, especially busy ahead of Eid and wedding seasons.
Her account underscores not only the terrifying escape from the smoke-choked basement but also the ongoing quest for answers and the staggering economic aftermath for the plaza’s business community, whose affordable goods attracted countless customers.
