A fire broke out on Thursday in the basement of Hafeez Center - one of Lahore’s busiest commercial plazas located in the Gulberg area.

According to Rescue 1122 officials, the blaze started in the basement and quickly spread smoke throughout the multi-storey building, which houses hundreds of electronics shops and offices.

Fire brigades and rescue teams arrived promptly on the scene, and operations to control the fire and evacuate occupants were launched without delay.

While no casualties had been reported till the filing of this report, the incident once again raised serious concerns about fire safety measures in commercial buildings across the city.

Preliminary findings suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, possibly linked to exposed wiring and lack of periodic safety inspections. Witnesses described scenes of panic as shopkeepers and staff rushed to evacuate, while thick black smoke clouded large parts of the plaza.

Hafeez Center has a history of similar incidents. A devastating blaze in 2020 caused massive financial losses, but the building was eventually reopened — allegedly under commercial and political pressure — without the full implementation of recommended fire safety upgrades or structural clearances.

Sources familiar with the matter claim that the plaza was allowed to operate without proper fire safety clearance or rewiring, despite its history. “This is not just an isolated incident — it’s a repeated failure to enforce basic safety standards,” said a safety official on condition of anonymity.

In a related development, concerns were also raised after Governor Punjab recently ordered a previously fire-hit building in Lahore to resume operations on an ad-hoc basis.

Thursday's fire at Hafeez Center has now brought that decision into question, with many pointing out the grave dangers of bypassing essential inspections.

Experts warn that continuing to operate such complexes without comprehensive rewiring, fire clearance, and structural evaluations is not only irresponsible but potentially life-threatening.