• Blaze spreads from basement of Imtiaz supermarket to upper floors
• Firefighters break walls to access site; contain fire after hours-long operation
• Officials cite inactive safety system, heavy smoke as major challenges

KARACHI: A fire that erupted in the basement of a superstore in the Zamzama area of DHA on Monday morning was brought under control and the cooling work was underway till late at night, officials said.

As many as 25 employees of the Imtiaz supermarket’s Zamzama branch were trapped in the outlet when the fire broke out at around 5:30am. They were rescued, and the blaze was controlled by over a dozen fire tenders.

During an evening visit to the scene, Dawn saw thick smoke emanating from different parts of the building, while the staff of the store were taking out cars from the basement.

One security guard told Dawn that seven vehicles were parked in the basement, which had been blackened with smoke, but none of them was damaged in the fire.

Meanwhile, Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan said that the fire safety system installed in the building was “not active”.

He said the fire in the false ceiling caused an increase in smoke, which created problems for firefighters. “We broke walls to reduce the intensity of the smoke,” he added.

Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that their command and control room received information about the fire at around 5:38am.

He said the fire had initially erupted in an automated teller machine (ATM) inside the store and spread to the basement, where large quantities of flammable materials, including cooking oil, perfumes, cosmetics, plastic, etc., were stored, compounding the blaze.

The fire spread to the mezzanine floor and then to the first and second floors, he added.

He said thick smoke emanating from the building caused difficulties for firefighters, as there was “no ventilation or entry point” to access the basement. It prompted the firemen to break through the walls on the first and second floors with ladders to make forcible entry.

Mr Khan also confirmed that the fire had been controlled at 7pm and cooling work had started.

However, he said flames still existed in patches of the building, which were being controlled. Besides, the firemen now have access to the seat of the fire.

He opined that only the roof remained safe, where solar panels were installed, and if the fire had spread to the roof, it would have caused more destruction.

He said that almost all stored material was destroyed in the blaze, causing significant financial losses.

“Twelve fire tenders of the Rescue-1122, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s Fire Brigade and Cantonment Board Clifton took part in the firefighting operation, and now it has been controlled,” he added.

He said that at first the superstore staff tried to control the fire on their own, but they got stuck there. Since the fire had initially erupted in the ATM, he said they suspected that the exact cause might be a short circuit.

However, over two dozen persons belonging to the security and administration of the store were rescued.

Clifton SHO Naseer Tanoli told Dawn that the fire had been controlled and cooling work had started.

He said that the police had obtained CCTV footage which showed the eruption of the fire in the ATM, where the store staff initially tried to control it and later informed the police and the fire brigade.

He said they had cordoned off the area to provide safe passage to the firemen since 6am. The SHO said that the store’s fibre walls and the presence of clothes contributed to the intensity and spread of the fire.

He said a “significant quantity of goods was safe”, and seven new cars parked in the basement also remained safe.

‘Fire safety audit conducted’

In the evening, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab told the media at the spot that the fire had been controlled and cooling work had started.

He said around 25 people were rescued safely, and solar panels and other goods “remained safe”.

He said rescue workers broke walls to eject smoke. Without mentioning the timeline of the action, he said a fire safety audit of the building had been conducted.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2026