A fire that broke out in the basement of a private hotel in Lahore’s Gulberg area on Saturday has claimed one life as firefighting and cooling operations remain underway.
According to rescue officials, the fire erupted after a boiler exploded in the hotel’s basement at a time when a private college event was underway and a large number of people were present inside the building.
Speaking to the media, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said that teams immediately reached the scene after receiving the emergency call. He added that more than 20 rescue vehicles have been deployed to manage the situation.
According to Ahmed, the CCTV operator, Shehryar, is still missing, while Mubeen, who worked in ground operations, has been shifted to the hospital and is now out of danger.
The incident occurred in a 19-storey plaza where more than 300 people were present at the time. Farooq Ahmed confirmed that rescue operations will continue, as smoke is still present in basement one.One person dies, six affected
Rescue officials confirmed that one person died as a result of the fire. The deceased has been identified as Imran, according to rescue authorities.
Officials further said that the number of people affected by the incident stands at six.
Earlier, one individual had sustained burn injuries and was shifted to a nearby hospital. Police had identified the injured person as Mubeen, who was reported to be in critical condition.
DIG operations denies reports of death
DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said that rescuers controlled the fire effectively and confirmed that no fatalities have been reported so far.
He added that four injured individuals have been shifted to hospital for treatment, while a search operation is underway for two more people.
The DIG further stated that an investigation will be conducted to determine how the fire started.
Eyewitnesses described alarming scenes inside the hotel, claiming that no fire alarm went off after the blaze started.
“When the door was opened, there was only smoke outside,” an eyewitness said, adding that emergency exit gates were closed at the time.
Another eyewitness reported heavy smoke and congestion on the seventh floor, saying the hotel administration did not guide people toward exits, forcing them to escape with great difficulty.
Earlier, police sources said some individuals were trapped on the upper floors of the building. Rescue teams used stairways and safety equipment to reach those areas as smoke continued to spread upward.
An eyewitness, Humayun, who escaped from the 14th floor, recalled the terrifying moments during the incident.
“I was in my room on the 14th floor when the fire broke out,” he said. “As soon as I realized what was happening, I used the stairs to come down.”
