KARACHI: At least five people were killed after a massive fire broke out at the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road late on Saturday night, officials said.

The blaze, still raging, has continued for over 10 hours, during which a portion of the building collapsed on Sunday morning due to intense heat, according to rescue officials.

The chief fire officer said that around 60% of the blaze at Gul Plaza has been brought under control, but firefighters are still unable to enter the building due to extreme heat.

He added that the intense temperature inside the structure is preventing internal access, hampering rescue and search efforts.

The officer further said that the plaza is sealed from all sides and lacks any proper ventilation system, complicating firefighting operations.

Speaking to Geo News, District South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said that the fire has erupted again in the back of the first floor of the building.

“There are fears that people are on the first and mezzanine floors,” said Khoso, adding that the rescue teams have not been able to reach these floors.

Noting that there is no way to exit in case of an emergency, the DC said that investigation is underway to find out why an emergency exit was not made in the building.

“We will check the map and other things with the relevant institutions.”

“It was directed to ensure fire extinguishers [in building], but they were not present in the building,” the official added.

People still trapped

Meanwhile, Sindh Emergency Service Rescue 1122 Chief Operating Officer Dr Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh said that 20 fire tenders and four snorkels are taking part in firefighting operations from three sides of Gul Plaza.

Noting that all available technical equipment is being used to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible, the rescue official added that materials stored inside the plaza are making it difficult for rescue teams to control the blaze.

Fire brigade officials feared that several people were still trapped inside the mall.

“We cannot say at this stage how many people are still trapped inside the building,” the official added.

Shaikh added that a portion of the building’s rear side has collapsed, increasing the risk for both trapped individuals and rescue workers.

The presence of air conditioning shops in the building is creating additional challenges for firefighters, he said.

The blaze quickly spread inside the old building because of certain flammable material stored there, he said, confirming that due to the intense heat, a pillar of the building collapsed, raising fears that more parts of the structure could cave in.

Separately, revealing details of evacuation, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Asad Raza has said 25 people have been evacuated from the building so far.

Recurring blaze

Earlier, authorities had said that hours of firefighting efforts had stopped the blaze from spreading further, but it had nevertheless reached the third floor before being contained.

Soon after the fire brigade said the fire had been contained, conflagration again erupted with long flames coming out from the first floor.

Video footage showed flames engulfing several shops as firefighters worked to extinguish them.

The chief fire officer said that people trapped inside the shopping mall were evacuated with the help of snorkels.

The firefighting operation was temporarily paused in the early hours of Sunday before being resumed 15 minutes later.

A powerful explosion took place inside the premises after which the blaze further broke out, according to the chief fire officer, adding that the explosion was caused by gas leakage.

Sindh Rangers personnel, as per the spokesperson, are also taking part in rescue efforts alongside other emergency services.

The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained. 

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.