KARACHI: While firefighters were still engaged in cooling operations at four factories affected by a blaze inside the Karachi Export Processing Zone (EPZ) a day before, a fire that broke out at another nearby factory was brought under control on Friday after several hours of intense efforts, officials said.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that around 11:30 pm, firefighters noticed thick flames rising from the roof of Home Furnishing Ltd., a factory located on a street behind the compound housing the four previously affected factories. He added that the fifth factory was far enough away that the earlier fire could not have directly spread to it.

As fire tenders and personnel were already present in the area for cooling operations, they quickly responded and began firefighting efforts. Four fire tenders managed to control the blaze by 7am on Friday. As the fire broke out during the night, no one was reported injured.

The spokesperson said the roof of the five-storey factory was badly damaged. Regarding the likely cause of the fire, Mr Khan said it was suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit.

Earlier, a fire had erupted in the basement of a factory in the EPZ, apparently due to welding work. The flames spread rapidly because of the presence of second-hand clothing stored there. As a result, the five-storey building collapsed, injuring eight workers who had been attempting to retrieve goods for safety despite repeated warnings from firefighters to evacuate.

The intense flames from that fire also spread to three adjacent factories. Two of them suffered substantial damage, while the fourth was partially affected.

The spokesperson said that this was the fourth fire incident in the EPZ, which pointed to inadequate fire safety measures and a lack of necessary precautions.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025