A fire broke out at a furniture market in Karachi late on Monday night, gutting around 30 shops before it was brought under control overnight, fire officials confirmed on Tuesday morning.
The affected furniture market is located near Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan Johar area of Metropolis.
Fire Officer Zafar confirmed that 6 fire tenders were deployed to douse the fire which gutted more than 30 shops.
The fire was so intense that its high flames and clouds of smoke could be seen from several kilometers away.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the fire officer said, adding that no casualty has been reported so far.
As soon as the fire was reported, the authorities were immediately alerted. Six vehicles of the fire brigade department were immediately dispatched to the spot.
The massive blaze comes a week after a fire broke out in a multi-storey building on MA Jinnah Road on December 19, the second fire incident in a building in just two weeks.
According to fire brigade sources, the fire broke out in a flat on the first floor of a multi-storied building called Rampa Plaza, which also houses various business offices.
Snorkels and several fire brigade vehicles brought the fire under control. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
A fire broke out in the Rampa Plaza building two weeks ago on December 3. The fire broke out in a flat on the first floor of the building before it spread to the upper floors. At that time, the people inside the affected building were evacuated safely.
The seventh floor of the same building caught fire in May last year, allegedly in a spare parts warehouse.
Following the December 3 fire, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah urged the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and concerned authorities to inspect high-rise buildings to prevent such incidents in the future.