On January 21st, a fire occurred in Pakistan, specifically in Karachi. Leaving at least 21 people dead and several more missing.

The fire lasted more than 24 hours before firefighters were able to put it out. The mall housed 1,200 stores and spanned 8,000 sq m. Parts of the buildings have caved in, causing less ventilation and a lot of debris, which, according to officials, is causing difficulties with the rescuers’ job in finding the missing people still in the building. In an article by BBC, emergency services mentioned, “Almost the entire building was already engulfed in flames” by the time rescuers arrived at the site on Saturday night” (Davies, Correspondent, Jordan, Jan 19).

60 people have been reported missing by their families, who actually wait outside the mall building, anxiously waiting and hoping that their loved ones are still alive and don’t come out in body bags. The city’s administrators have set up a desk to document the names and details of the other missing people.

By Sunday evening, multiple parts of the plaza were burned and were reduced to rubble. Rescuers are worried that the whole building could come down at any time. Cranes have been sent to move what remains of the building in hopes of finding more bodies; however, rescuers are still waiting for the building to cool down sufficiently so they can conduct a more thorough search for bodies.

The cause of the fire still remains unknown at the moment, but some believe the fire was caused by a short circuit, while others believe it was due to human negligence, storage of flammable material, and gross safety violations. During the fire, people in the mall had trouble escaping. In an article published by The Friday Times, “Emergency exits were either locked or nonfunctional. Staircases were narrow, dark and poorly designed. Ventilation was inadequate. Fire alarms and sprinklers were either absent or useless” (Soomro Jan 28). It was stated in the article that shops supplied with plastics, garments, cosmetics, and synthetic materials operated without regard for fire safety.

Records reveal that there have been fire safety notices and warnings have been issued to the Gul Plaza, yet there was nothing done about it. Business owners never faced penalties or had their licenses revoked when they did not comply. The emergency responders failed in practice as well. When the fire broke out, first responders struggled due to outdated equipment, not having enough manpower, and poor unity. While this incident was tragic, it reveals the ugly truth about Karachi. They don’t lack laws; what they lack is enforcing those same laws. They don’t lack a foundation; they lack accountability.