KARACHI: A massive fire broke out in the Baloch Colony grid station of K-Electric (KE) in the small hours of Tuesday morning, depriving thousands of people living along Sharea Faisal of electricity for hours.

Residents said a loud explosion was heard at around 4am, followed by huge flames rising from the grid station.

They said the fire spread rapidly, with thick smoke visible from a distance, causing panic in nearby localities.

Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan said no casualties were reported in the incident. He described it as a third-degree fire and said the flames reached 30 to 40 feet in height.

Eight fire tenders put out the blaze after hour-long operation; KE says fire affected 38 feeders of Baloch Colony grid station

He said after receiving the information, eight fire tenders and two water bowsers were rushed to the scene. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly an hour before bringing it under control. Cooling operations continued for several hours, he added.

The spokesperson said that the blaze had erupted in three panels of the grid station, with fuel tanks installed above them.

The damage to equipment at the grid station caused multiple feeders to trip, resulting in a widespread outage.

The power breakdown, which began in the early hours, disrupted routine life, water supply and business activities in Mahmoodabad, PECHS, Tipu Sultan Road, Baloch Colony and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Families complained of being left without light, fans and water pumps for hours in humid weather, while shopkeepers and commercial centres reported losses due to closure of business.

According to KE, electricity was restored to nearly 70 per cent of the affected areas within two hours of the incident. It said supply had been restored to 32 out of a total of 38 affected feeders.

The power utility said its technical teams were working on the remaining six feeders to restore supply to the remaining affected pockets.

However, residents contested the claim, saying power remained suspended in several streets of Tipu Sultan, Baloch Colony and adjoining areas till late at night.

Zarqa Jabeen, a high school teacher, said students and teachers at their school on Tipu Sultan Road had a very tough day in the sizzling weather.

Dr Azkha Rabbani, a resident of PECHS Block 6, said they woke up around 5am to find the power disrupted. “Thank God, it was restored within two hours,” she said, adding that they were lucky, while a nearby block remained without electricity till late in the evening.

Many said they kept complaining to the power utility but received no clear response about the expected restoration time.

Officials said that the exact cause of the fire had not yet been determined and would be ascertained after a detailed technical assessment once cooling was complete. Initial reports suggested that a short-circuit may have triggered the blaze.

K-Electric sources claimed that immediate measures were taken to minimise public suffering and that supply to affected areas was shifted to alternative lines.

The affected grid station is one of the key installations supplying many areas along Sharea Faisal. Its feeders include Ferozabad, Baloch Grid PMT, Progressive Centre, Jumani Square RMU, Soil Mechanic, Pole 48, Baloch Centre, City Mall and Toyota Motor, covering PECHS Society, Mahmoodabad, Kashmir Colony, Akhtar Colony and surrounding commercial and residential localities.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026