LAHORE: Furniture and other valuables were gutted after a fire broke out in the office of Registrar Cooperative Housing Societies near The Mall on Friday.

The fire first erupted in an office at the sixth floor of the building and later spread to the adjoining offices too.

The police said the cause of fire could not be determined.

The employees alerted the Rescue 1122 and the firefighters reached the site along with eight fire engines. However, the blaze had engulfed the entire floor of the multi-storey government building before the start of firefighting operation, gutting furniture, electrical gadgets and other valuables.

The spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 said the fire was controlled after efforts of about two hours. The building has been handed over to the police for investigation after cooling process. The office of Registrar Cooperative Societies keeps records of the housing societies in Punjab.

In another incident, the traders suffered a huge loss after a fire broke out in a three-storey commercial building near Landa Bazaar in the Naulakha police area.

Initial reports suggested the fire erupted owing to a short circuit which later engulfed many shops of clothes and shoes.

Before arrival of the firefighters, the fire had inflicted major losses to the shopkeepers and traders. However, the firefighters controlled the ablaze after efforts of three hours or so.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2018