KARACHI: Thirty shops were gutted when a huge fire erupted in a commercial building in Clifton on early Tuesday morning, police and rescue services officials said.

Four people, including one firefighter, were affected by smoke inhalation.

Twelve fire tenders worked for four hours to bring the fire under control.

SSP-South Mahzoor Ali said the fire started in a warehouse storing sofa sets and blankets at Glass Tower, near the head office of the Pakistan State Oil.

A Rescue-1122 official told Dawn that the fire broke out on the building’s first floor at around 1:40am. He said firefighters managed to control the blaze by 5am.

He added that 30 shops were completely gutted, with cell phones, electronic goods, and blankets stored inside. No casualty was reported, though four individuals — one firefighter and three shopkeepers — were affected by the thick smoke.

SSP Ali said that the exact cause of the fire was still being investigated and the financial loss yet to be assessed.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025