• Blaze broke out during welding works in basement of five-storey building
• Firefighters say 1,200 workers safely evacuated, eight suffered burns as they risked their lives to salvage goods
• Rescue agency says this was third major fire incident in Landhi EPZ within a year

KARACHI: Eight workers were injured after a huge fire reduced a five-storey garments factory to ashes and caused extensive damage to three adjacent industrial units in Landhi’s Export Processing Zone on Thursday.

It was stated that the fire was caused by the sparks produced during welding works in the basement of the factory.

According to firefighters, there were around 1,200 people, mainly workers, present inside when the building caught fire.

The factory-owners dealt in second-hand garments business, police and rescue service personnel said, adding that the eight workers suffered burn and other injuries while they kept salvaging goods inside and ignoring warnings from the firemen. The blaze swiftly spread to three adjacent factories due to strong winds causing extensive damage to two of them.

The fire that erupted in the morning was brought under control by over 20 fire tenders. Cooling work was continued after flames were put out by the evening.

Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that the agency received the information about the fire at the ‘Masha Allah Factory’ at about 10am. Initially, a couple of fire tenders were dispatched to the site but realising the gravity of the situation, more were employed and some more were called from the KMC Fire Brigade. A total of 20 fire tenders, two snorkels, five ambulances and water bowsers were engaged in the firefighting operation that ended at about 4pm,” he added.

Mr Khan said the factory was one of the four similar industrial units sharing one compound.

He quoted some factory workers as telling the firemen that some welding work was being carried out in the basement of the five-storey building, which triggered the fire. Some repair or construction work was also going on at the factory.

Because of thick smoke and impact of the fire, the five storey-building collapsed, causing injuries to eight workers, he said, adding that they were probably forced by the management to salvage goods and shift the same to a safe place. It was a vast area and strong winds were blowing which caused rapid spread of the fire, Mr Khan said.

The Rescue-1122 spokesperson estimated that there were 1,200 workers present inside and evacuated safely.

He said that the compound was stretched over an area of 2,000 square yards and housed four factories. “One of them was completely destroyed; two others suffered up to 50pc damage while the fourth one was partially damaged,” he said.

He also said that firefighters faced hardship in their operation due to a lack of constant water supply. Initially, two small fire tenders of the EPZ (Export Processing Zone) tried to handle the situation, and then the Rescue-1122, KMC and Port Qasim Authority sent their fire tenders to the site. He said one firefighter was also fainted and injured but was provided timely medical assistance.

Mr Khan recalled that it was the third incident of major fire in the EPZ within a year, which necessitated measures to strengthen fire safety protocols in the zone.

An Edhi Foundation spokesperson identified seven of the injured victims as Shahzad, 30, Rizwan, 36, Mian Siddiq, 40, Mohammed Altaf, 48, Abdul Rasheed, 26, Imran, 23, and Mohammed Arsalan, 31. They were shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital for treatment.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2025