LAHORE: A major fire broke out Thursday morning at the old LDA Complex within Lahore’s Aiwan-e-Adl (Civil Court), severely damaging multiple courtrooms, judicial property, and official records. The blaze spread rapidly across the third, fourth, and fifth floors before firefighters managed to bring it under control.
According to rescue officials, the fire started on the third floor and quickly engulfed adjacent sections, destroying courtrooms and record rooms filled with case files. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, but initial reports confirm that a large volume of judicial records and property were reduced to ashes. Five individuals, including the building’s watchman, were trapped on the sixth floor but were safely rescued.
Several courts were among those affected, including the Special Commercial Court, NADRA Court, Family Courts, Rent Control Court, WAPDA Court, and Special DHA Courts. A daycare centre within the premises was also impacted. Unverified reports indicate that **around 66 courts and thousands of case records** may have been destroyed in the blaze.
The incident follows closely on the heels of a similar fire at the Model Town Courts last month, which destroyed thousands of legal files. The recurring court fires in Lahore have sparked alarm among lawyers and civil rights groups, who are calling for an independent probe and urgent improvements to fire safety systems in judicial buildings across Punjab.
