As per rescue officials, the inferno sparked near Arshi shopping mall and residential flats, where furniture shops are sold and spread to other areas.
A market located on the ground floor that housed residences in the Ayesha Manzil area of Karachi caught fire on Wednesday. The shopping mall is a house of foam shops and the material further intensified fire quickly.
Karachi administration and local cops told media that several people were in the residential flats at the time of the incident.
He said that the shop that caught fire initially, was a mattress store, and the flames have engulfed the surrounding shops as well. The official said that efforts are underway to evacuate the people present in the building.
At least five fire engines have reached the scene and a rescue operation is under way to evacuate the trapped residents of the apartments.
Initial reports indicate significant losses to several shops.
This is a second such incident to have occurred in past few days in the city.
Earlier, at least 11 people lost their lives and 22 were injured in massive fire broke out in a multi-storey RJ Mall on Rashid Minhas Road.
The fire erupted in the RJ Mall building at around 6 in the morning and was finally extinguished after hours of efforts involving eight fire tenders, two snorkels, and a water bowser, a Fire department spokesperson said then.
