LAHORE:Five people—including a woman and her three children—were burnt alive when a massive fire engulfed an LPG gas refilling shop located on the ground floor of a three-story residential building on Ravi Road area on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when at least five LPG cylinders exploded in quick succession following what officials suspect to be a gas leak. The blasts caused the complete collapse of all three floors of the building, trapping residents under the rubble and in raging flames.
The fire, which quickly spread to the upper floors where two families resided, turned the structure into an inferno within minutes. Rescue 1122 emergency teams rushed to the scene as thick clouds of smoke billowed into the sky, visible from miles away. Firefighters and rescue personnel worked for hours to control the blaze and search for survivors amidst the debris.
Among the dead were 25-year-old Nusrat and her three young children—Zainab, 4, Ibrahim, 6, and Faryal, 3. A fifth victim, an unidentified man who had reportedly come to the shop to get his gas cylinder refilled, also died on the spot. The deceased was said to be a rickshaw driver.
According to witnesses, there was a loud blast, and within seconds, flames started shooting out of the building. Ahsan, the landlord of the building, lived on the first floor with his family, while his brother's family occupied the other floors.
The injured were rushed to the hospital where all are undergoing intensive care. Two injured identified as Irfan, 45, and Adnan, 22, suffered 100 percent burns and were stated to be in critical condition.
The building was poorly ventilated, and the fire spread rapidly because of the flammable nature of the materials inside. As news of the tragedy spread, hundreds of people gathered at the site. The presence of the crowd hampered rescue efforts, and police had to cordon off the area. The fire caused significant traffic disruption across northern Lahore, with long queues of vehicles reported from Ravi Road all the way to Shahdara. Commuters remained stuck for hours as authorities diverted traffic to alternative routes.
DC took notice of the incident and directed for ensuring the injured receive the best possible medical care. A special investigation team has been constituted to determine the cause of the fire and evaluate negligence.
Civil Defence has been instructed to submit a detailed report on the safety compliance of the LPG shop. Initial investigations suggest that the LPG shop was functioning without adequate fire safety measures. Sources in the Civil Defence Department indicated that there was no fire suppression system in place, and the shop may not have had a valid safety clearance. The tragedy has sparked public outrage and renewed debate over the regulation of LPG shops in densely populated areas.