Four firefighters lost their lives and thirteen others were injured when a multistory factory building in Karachi, in southern Pakistan, collapsed after a devastating fire. Authorities indicated the blaze began in a factory, with initial reports pointing to a small electrical fault as the trigger. The incident occurred in the early hours, and the flames rapidly engulfed stored clothing materials, complicating suppression efforts and contributing to the structural failure as rescuers moved in. The newspaper Dawn reported the fire and its consequences, highlighting the scale of the damage and the subsequent collapse that trapped many workers and emergency responders beneath the rubble.
Rescue teams faced a chaotic scene as people were pulled from the debris and rushed to nearby hospitals. Among the injured were several firefighters who had rushed toward the blaze to contain it and rescue others. Police officials said they soon discovered that four firefighters were missing in the immediate aftermath, triggering an expanded search and rescue operation. The chaotic situation was compounded by the turning of the building materials and residual heat, which investigators later noted could have weakened the structure over time and increased the risk of collapse during cooling and rescue work.
Early investigations suggested that the fire started in the morning due to a short circuit, with the heat spreading to fabrics stored within the factory. Firefighters and other responders worked through the night into Thursday, using cooling procedures to prevent rekindling while carefully supporting the damaged shell of the four-story structure. The police spokesperson emphasized that the collapse could be linked to heat-induced structural fatigue and the heavy load created by water used to combat the fire, combined with the accumulation of textiles and other materials at the site. The tragedy underscored the dangers faced by emergency personnel, the rapid escalation of urban industrial fires, and the ongoing need for rigorous safety protocols to protect workers and responders alike, while authorities coordinate casualty reporting and continue the search for the missing firefighters (Dawn).