The Commission of Inquiry into the Gul Plaza fire has found that the shopping mall’s management knew about serious fire safety problems but failed to fix them.
The devastating fire claimed the lives of more than 72 people.
The Sindh Home Department issued the judicial commission’s report. Geo News has obtained a copy of the report.
The commission said Gul Plaza lacked an effective and integrated fire safety system.
Building Failed All Three Fire Safety Requirements
According to the report, the failures covered all three key areas of fire safety: prevention, detection and firefighting.
The building lacked proper systems to prevent fires. It also had no reliable systems to detect fires or control them.
The commission said the fire was not an unforeseeable event.
Instead, it described the disaster as a foreseeable result of operating the building in a hazardous condition.
Commission Was Formed After Deadly January Fire
The Sindh government formed the single-member judicial commission on February 4.
The Sindh High Court nominated Justice Agha Faisal to lead the inquiry.
The commission was tasked with investigating the causes of the fire and identifying those responsible for the failures.
The fire broke out at Gul Plaza on January 17. It quickly spread through the three-storey shopping complex on MA Jinnah Road.
The complex housed nearly 1,200 family-owned shops. Vendors sold wedding clothes, toys, crockery and other goods.
The incident became Karachi’s deadliest fire in more than a decade.
Civil Defence Flagged Problems in 2024 and 2025
Civil Defence inspections in both 2024 and 2025 identified serious fire safety deficiencies.
Inspectors found no hydrants, hose reels or fire pumps. The building also lacked a reliable and functional fire alarm system.
The reports also highlighted the absence of trained staff and proper fire drills.
Rescue equipment was also unavailable.
Despite these warnings, the management failed to take effective corrective action, the commission found.
Flammable Material Increased the Risk
The commission also raised concerns about flammable materials across the shopping complex.
It said the building lacked structural safeguards to resist and contain a fire.
These failures allowed the risk to grow and made it more difficult to control a fire at an early stage.
The report said the management violated the Civil Defence (Measures for Dealing with Outbreak of Fire) Order, 1987.
The law requires building management to provide and maintain firefighting equipment in working condition.
The lack of proper arrangements to control a fire also violated Rule 9 of the Civil Defence Rules, 1951.
KMC Had Already Identified Safety Failures in 2021
A Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Fire Department audit had identified similar problems in 2021.
The audit found that Gul Plaza lacked basic fire safety arrangements.
The building had too few fire extinguishers, and staff did not maintain them properly.
The audit also found no fire alarms, sprinklers, smoke detectors or hydrants.
Internal firefighting systems were also missing.
No Evacuation Plan or Trained Staff
The 2021 audit identified several other major safety failures.
The building had no trained fire safety personnel. Management had also not prepared an evacuation plan.
No one conducted regular fire drills.
Inspectors also found poor emergency lighting and inadequate exit signs.
Unsafe electrical wiring created another serious risk.
The building also lacked essential emergency information.
Report Notes Possible Building Regulation Violations
The commission said some violations of the Civil Defence Order and Rules also breached Karachi’s building regulations.
It pointed to possible violations of Chapter 13 of the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations, 2002.
The commission specifically noted apparent violations of Regulations 13.3 and 14.8.
The inquiry concluded that the mall had operated for years despite repeated warnings about serious fire safety failures.
