KARACHI: A man, said to be a drug addict, was killed in a huge fire erupted in Gul Plaza on Sunday evening.

It took firefighters and Rescue-1122 around 21 hours to extinguish the blaze that broke out in the basement of the gutted structure.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn on Monday that Rescue-1122 found a man, said to be a drug addict, lying unconscious in Gul Plaza at about 7am with burn marks on the hand and abdomen.

He was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, said police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed. She said the man suffered up to 82 per cent burn wounds.

Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that the fire in the basement broke out on Sunday at around 5pm and six fire tenders managed to control and extinguish the fire at around 2pm on Monday. He said during the search operation, the unconscious man was found in the basement.

Mr Khan said the basement had largely remained safe in the previous fire on January 17. However, in the second fire, the basement was gutted, he added.

Earlier, DIG Raza had said that the police took into custody three drug addicts for their alleged involvement in igniting the fire. He also said that eight policemen deputed at the remains of Gul Plaza were suspended on charges of negligence.

He said the authorities had sealed the Gul Plaza structure and covered it with green safety nets. But, during recent rains, the damaged parts got further exposed as the covering got dislodged. This left the building open from some sides and inadequately secured, he added.

The police had also moved city administration, asking them to “repair and secure the place” and re-seal it.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2026