LAHORE: At least three people lost their lives after a fire broke out at a hotel in Lahore’s Gulberg area on Saturday, according to rescue officials. Punjab authorities said the situation was largely brought under control following a major rescue operation.
Police said the fire severely affected Basement One of the hotel, which spans four kanals, has 19 storeys, and includes three basements. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Punjab Minister for Energy and Sports Faisal Ayub Khokhar confirmed that all hotel guests were evacuated safely and stated that the fire had been contained. However, hotel management initially reported one missing person, later identified as a staff member working as a CCTV operator.
Rescue sources later confirmed that the death toll had risen to three. One of the victims was an employee working in the hotel’s laundry section, while another was identified as Shariyar, a 25-year-old CCTV operator. A third victim, Imran, aged 30, succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said in a post on X that the fire had been contained and the lives of hotel guests and staff were saved. “The incident reaffirms a fundamental principle of governance: it must always be preemptive, not reactive,” she wrote.
In a subsequent post, the chief minister said 180 people were rescued and shifted to safe locations. She added that two employees were initially trapped in the basement and authorities were employing all available resources to rescue them. The source of the fire, she said, had been identified and controlled.
According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed, two hotel staff members — Shariyar and Riaz — were reported missing during the operation. Hospital authorities later confirmed the deaths of Shariyar and Imran.
Several injured individuals were shifted to Services Hospital, including Mubeen (37), who sustained 35–40 per cent burns, along with Ali (18), Rashid Ali (22), and Muqaddas (28). Two others, Patras Masih and Pehlwan Masih, received first aid at the scene.
Rescue 1122 teams remain on-site and continue to monitor the situation in coordination with hotel management to prevent further casualties and ensure complete fire control.