KARACHI: Four prosecution witnesses, including 13-year-old Aryan, gave their statements on Monday before Judicial Magistrate Aasim Aslam about the deadly fire at Gul Plaza Shopping Mall. The fire started late evening on January 17 and gutted the ground-plus-three-storey building, leaving parts of it collapsed. Aryan said he saw 11-year-old Huzaifa, son of the flower shop owner, playing with matchsticks when the fire erupted. Aryan had visited the flower shop at about 10 pm and found Huzaifa alone there. Three shop salesmen also gave their accounts. Waleed heard a shout about the fire and saw flames in the artificial flower shop. He and other shopkeepers tried to remove flowers but found them fixed with screws. The fire grew intense with thick smoke, and the market committee had come to the spot by then. Waleed escaped as the fire became uncontrollable. Hamza, 29, was doing shop accounts when he saw the fire start in Shop No 193, the flower shop. After water dousing failed, he ran for safety. Talha, 28, was talking to a colleague when fire began. They first tried to stop it but then fled for their lives. A manslaughter case was registered by Nabi Bux police against unknown persons. The full blaze took nearly two days to be extinguished. The incident is under probe.