A fierce fire has torn through Lahore’s prominent electronics market, Hafeez Centre in Gulberg, today amid persistent monsoon rains. Social media footage shows the entire five‑storey building shrouded in black smoke, while heavy rain has flooded surrounding roads.
Inside the centre, plumes of smoke billowed through charred corridors and shops, many of which appear to have suffered severe damage. Police and Rescue 1122 emergency teams were dispatched rapidly, working to bring the fire under control.
The full scale of destruction remains undetermined. Authorities are still assessing whether the building’s structure has been compromised, and shopkeepers face concerns about destroyed stock and lost business days.
Officials have yet to confirm the cause of the fire, but will likely launch an investigation into electrical faults or structural failures in light of past safety violations.
Not the First Time
This is, unfortunately, not Hafeez Centre’s first encounter with disaster. Back in October 2020, a massive fire erupted early morning on the second floor, destroying 400 to 500 shops and causing property losses estimated at Rs 2.5 to 3 billion. The fire raged for over 14 hours, drawing a large emergency response including 25 fire tenders, Pakistan Navy and Rangers personnel, and evacuating 25 people from rooftops. A government committee later sealed the building after detecting structural cracks and non-functional firefighting systems.
Similarly, during December 2010, a short circuit triggered a fire in stalls selling networking hardware on the first floor. The flames spread through petrol cans and poor wiring, affecting five shops.
