Record burnt as Lahore civil court hit by another major fire in five weeks

A major fire broke out on Thursday morning at the old LDA Complex building within the Aiwan-e-Adl (Civil Court) in Lahore, severely damaging courtrooms, official records, and judicial property. 

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the blaze engulfed the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the building before firefighters brought it under control.

Rescue sources said the fire began on the third floor and rapidly spread to adjacent levels. Flames tore through courtrooms and record sections, reducing a significant amount of judicial case files to ashes. 

The extent of the damage is still being assessed, though early reports confirm that court property and critical documentation across three floors were destroyed.

Rescue 1122 and fire brigade teams responded promptly, launching full firefighting and evacuation operations. Five individuals, including the building’s watchman, were trapped on the sixth floor but were safely rescued.

After gaining control of the blaze, rescue teams began the cooling process to prevent any further flare-ups. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties have been reported in the incident.

Among the courtrooms severely affected by the fire are several belonging to sitting civil judges. These include the Special Commercial Court, NADRA Court (Judge Sardar Yousaf), Family Courts of Judges Nauman Yasin and Asif Mujtaba, Special DHA Civil Court (Judge Nawaz Ashraf), Rent Control Court (Judge Gulfam Ahmed), Special Court of Issuance (Judge Rizwan Ali), WAPDA Court (Judge Shaukat Ali), Special DHA Court (Judge Latif Hanjra), Government Special Civil Court (Judge Jamshed), and the civil trial office of Judge Muhammad Awais. A daycare centre for children located within the premises was also affected.

This latest fire comes barely a month after a similar incident at Lahore’s Model Town Courts on September 13, where thousands of legal case files were destroyed in a blaze that originated in the record room. That fire completely gutted two rooms filled with case records, drawing criticism over fire safety protocols in Lahore’s judicial infrastructure.

The repeated occurrence of such fires in Lahore’s courts is raising serious concerns among legal professionals, civil society, and human rights organisations. There are growing calls for an independent investigation and a comprehensive review of safety measures in all judicial buildings across the province.

لاہور کی سول کورٹ میں شارٹ سرکٹ سے آگ بھڑک اٹھی، لکڑی کے فرنیچر، مقدمات کے کاغذات ہونے کی وجہ سے آگ نے چند منٹوں میں ہی تین فلور اپنی لپیٹ میں لے لئے ہیں، آگ شدت کے ساتھ ملحقہ عدالتی عمارتوں کو لپیٹ میں لے رہے ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/hkcgc1pDfv

— Mian Dawood (@miandawoodadv) October 16, 2025

Reporters:  Faran Yamin and Shaheen Attique