Massive factory blaze in Pakistan still uncontained after 30 hours, firefighters injured

A massive fire that erupted on June 8 at a factory in Landhi Export Processing Zone, Karachi, Pakistan, continues to rage more than 30 hours later, officials confirmed.

Despite a large-scale firefighting effort, the inferno remains only 70 per cent under control, Caliber. Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to the Karachi Fire Brigade, the fire quickly spread due to the presence of chemicals within the facility and strong winds, engulfing a nearby clothing warehouse and a plastic manufacturing unit. "Flames were still present in various sections of all three factories and fire personnel were making continuous efforts to extinguish the blaze," said Fire Officer Arif Mansoori.

Mansoori added, “The spread of the fire had been contained and there was no further risk of it extending to nearby areas,” but warned that the cooling process was expected to take several more hours. “Goods of high value had been destroyed in the incident,” he noted.

The fire has already devastated one factory completely and rendered another structurally unsafe. The cause of the blaze remains unknown. Rescue 1122 officials reported that the fire initially broke out around 4:50am in a single factory and spread rapidly to three adjacent facilities due to combustible materials stored within.

“This has been declared a ‘third degree’ fire,” rescue officials stated, confirming that at least five firefighters were injured after a portion of the affected building collapsed during the operation. One of the injured firefighters, all from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), is in critical condition.

There are currently over 20 fire tenders on site, including twelve vehicles directly engaged in the firefighting effort. The service’s chief operating officer told the media, “They were facing difficulties in rescue operation due to dense smoke and a shortage of water.”

The buildings affected by the fire have been declared unsafe. Firefighters are continuing to battle dense smoke using smoke injectors to ventilate the structures and remove toxic fumes.

This is the second major industrial fire in the area in recent weeks. Last month, a garments factory near Murtaza Chowrangi in Landhi also caught fire, destroying inventory worth millions of rupees.

By Vafa Guliyeva