• Only 370 of 783 commercial and residential projects found in compliance with fire safety rules• 416 buildings do not have emergency exits• Survey raises concerns over emergency preparedness in commercial and residential buildings
KARACHI: A comprehensive fire safety audit of buildings across the city has revealed widespread non-compliance with basic safety standards, raising concerns over emergency preparedness in the city’s commercial and residential structures.
The audit, conducted across seven districts, assessed 783 buildings on four key parameters — adherence to approved layout, availability of emergency exits, presence of portable fire extinguishers, and overall risk categorisation.
The exercise was ordered by the provincial government following the devastating fire at Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road that had killed scores of people in January. The chief secretary had constituted sub-divisional fire safety audit committees headed by assistant commissioners to conduct the survey.
According to the consolidated district-wise fire safety audit report, only 370 out of 783 buildings, roughly 47 per cent, audited citywide showed “substantial compliance” with fire safety regulations, while 115 were found to be “non-compliant” and 298 had “partial compliance”.
