Gul Plaza fire: Rooftop door was locked, says KMC fire officer

A Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) fire officer has revealed that people trapped during the Gul Plaza blaze tried to reach the rooftop, but found the door leading to it locked.

Speaking to the media outside Gul Plaza, fire officer Zafar Khan said that the fire broke out around the time the market was closing, due to which most entry and exit points had already been shut.

He said that upon receiving the initial alert, three fire tenders were dispatched at the same time. However, the operation faced difficulties as the fire tenders were large in size and the road leading to the building was narrow, he added.

Also Read: HRCP says systemic lapses allowed Gul Plaza fire to spread so rapidly and claim so many lives

Zafar said that panic among shopkeepers further hampered rescue efforts, with each trader pulling at fire hoses and urging firefighters to save their own shops first.

The fire officer also disclosed that KMC’s fire safety audit had earlier found serious shortcomings in commercial buildings. According to him, only five per cent of buildings were equipped with any fire safety system, while most lacked emergency exits and even basic firefighting equipment.