LAHORE: A fire erupted on the 10-floor of the LDA Judicial Complex, which houses civil courts, adjacent to Aiwan-i-Adl on Thursday morning, destroying case records, official documents and furniture before it was brought under control by firefighters.

Witnesses said the blaze broke out on the first floor at around 6:30am and within minutes, flames engulfed dozens of courtrooms located on four floors of the building. They said that thick black smoke spread rapidly, creating panic in the area.

Rescue 1122 firefighters and the fire brigade department rushed to the scene and managed to control the fire after hectic efforts.

Officials confirmed that no casualties occurred, however, seven people, including a security guard and his family, were rescued from the building.

Preliminary reports failed to determine the cause of the fire immediately.

Officials said that a formal inquiry had been launched to ascertain the reason behind the blaze.

Sources claimed that the fire reduced a large number of case records and court files to ashes.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2025