Fire rips through factory in Karachi's Landhi Export Processing Zone, 3 suffer minor injuries

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A large fire broke out at a clothing factory in Karachi's Landhi Export Processing Zone causing part of the building to collapse and injuries to three workers due to smoke inhalation. Firefighters contained the blaze which also spread to an adjacent factory, highlighting ongoing infrastructure and safety challenges in Pakistan.

At least three people suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation after a blaze ripped through a clothing factory in Karachi’s Landhi Export Processing Zone (EPZ) on Monday, Rescue 1122 said. The blaze caused part of the factory to collapse and spread to an adjacent factory, confirmed the Rescue 1122 spokesperson. However, due to timely evacuation, no loss of life was reported. The fire, which broke out around noon, continued into the night, with more than a dozen fire tenders engaged in extinguishing the blaze. Screengrab from a video shows a fire engulfing a factory in Karachi’s Landhi area on Sept 7, 2026. — Courtesy of Rescue 1122 Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that the control room received a report of a fire at the Ammar and Sons factory at around 12:53pm. The factory imported used clothes, which were reconditioned and sold in the market. He said a large number of workers were present when the fire broke out, but they managed to evacuate safely on their own. However, when firefighters arrived, seven workers were still trapped inside. Rescue teams subsequently evacuated them safely. “Of them, three became unconscious after inhaling smoke, but they did not sustain any burn injuries and were provided first aid at the scene,” he said. Khan elaborated that the factory comprised a ground floor and three upper storeys and that the entire building was engulfed in flames. “Continued exposure to the fire and heat caused extensive damage to the structure, with around 50 per cent of the building collapsing and the remaining portion sustaining damage.” He added that the intensity of the fire caused it to spread to an adjacent factory whose building was also engulfed in flames, resulting in serious structural damage. The spokesperson said 16 fire tenders from Rescue 1122, the KMC Fire Brigade and the EPZ’s own firefighting setup were engaged in controlling the blaze, which was still raging. The rescue official said the exact cause of the fire would be ascertained after a proper investigation once the blaze had been brought under control. However, all the goods stored in both factories were destroyed. Screengrab from a video shows a fire engulfing a factory in Karachi’s Landhi area on Sept 7, 2026. — Courtesy of Rescue 1122 Edhi ambulances and volunteers also reached the site to aid in the rescue operation, the Edhi Foundation said. Fires frequently erupt in buildings across Pakistan due to a mix of poor infrastructure, weak enforcement of safety regulations, and widespread negligence. Many structures lack proper fire exits, alarms, and emergency protocols, while faulty wiring and overloaded power systems increase the risk of electrical short circuits. The Gul Plaza inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall, claimed at least 73 lives. The blaze took nearly two days to be fully extinguished and left over 1,100 shops in ruins. In early February, a massive fire in a plastic factory at Landhi EPZ had engulfed several nearby factories and took major firefighting efforts to be brought under control after 13 hours. Days later, a fire erupted in a high-rise building near Karachi’s Baloch Colony, with around 150 people evacuated. On February 17, a fire at a chemical factory in the SITE Industrial Area was brought under control. The next month, a blaze that broke out in Imtiaz Superstore’s Zamzama branch was brought under control after hours-long efforts by rescue officials. In June, hundreds of people were evacuated as a fire erupted in the cold storage of a department store situated in a mega shopping mall on Rashid Minhas Road in Federal B Area.