LAHORE: A large fire that erupted in a chemical warehouse on Friday near the Saggian Bridge has been brought under control.

As per reports, 10 fire-fighting trucks, three special Rescue vehicles and two ambulances had been dispatched along with 45 personnel. The fire was said to be spreading fast due to the huge stock of the inflammable material in the godown.

A police official said that the police and Rescue officials had responded quickly when an employee informed and sought immediate help.

He said that huge flames followed by thick and black clouds indicated that the fire had spread to a major part of the factory and adjacent godown. He said the valuables including machinery, furniture and other goods had been gutted in the fire.

Some eyewitnesses told media persons that they heard the sound of small explosions in the godown of the factory, creating panic in the vicinity.

The employees and other officials rushed out of the building soon after black smoke and flames began to rise in the factory’s store section. Within minutes, they said, the fire spread and engulfed a large part of the factory, probably due to the inflammable material in a large number of drums stored on the site.

A spokesperson for the Emergency Services said that it was a big chemical godown that was located in a commercial plaza near the Saggian Bypass. He said that Rescue 1122 had dispatched teams which had launched an operation at around 5:13pm. The blaze had been controlled at around 8pm, he said.

The police official said that they would launch investigations to find criminal negligence on part of the factory management.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2025