Monday last, on the stroke of midnight, Pace, one of the foremost shopping malls in the city, caught fire that quickly engulfed the multi-storey building, gutting 400-odd shops. No loss of life has been reported so far. A 14-member, fact-finding committee was set up to investigate the causes of the catastrophic inferno; till the filing of this story the committee was yet to finalise its report.

However, flouting of building bylaws and safety codes with impunity, both in private residences and commercial plazas, seems to be a cause of such incidents. Which calls into question the performance of all concerned departments of the city district government, chiefly the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Lahore (MCL). Just what are they doing with regard to enforcement of the building safety laws?

This is the second time in two decade that the building has gone up in flames. Earlier, a blaze had erupted at Pace circa 2002.

Hafeez Centre, a major business hub of the city which lies right next to Pace, was also badly damaged by a fire in October 2020. Besides, about three years ago, a fire had broken out in the basement of another building located close by.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started on the fourth floor of Pace and travelled to the ground floor. The blaze was so huge that the plumes of smoke could be seen from afar.

The Rescue service reportedly received the first call about the fire at 12:45am, on March 14. The firefighting operation, which continued till the early hours, had 22 vehicles and 92 rescuers taking part. It is quite disturbing to note that dozens of fire-extinguishing units and trained crew of Rescue 1122 and Civil Defence were unable to save any portion of the plaza. No wonder the ill-fated plaza as well as the merchandise stored in it were destroyed for the most part.

Major cracks appeared in the roof and walls of the plaza, prompting the district authorities to seal it against further use.

Initial reports suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electric short-circuit. Some accounts by shop owners suggest, however, that an insider could have triggered the fire. The presence of highly combustible material may also be the reason why the fire which started at the fourth floor headed towards the ground floor.

Initial reports suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electric short-circuit. Accounts of some shop owners suggest however that it could have been triggered by some insider. The presence of highly combustible material may also be the reason why the fire which started at the fourth floor headed towards the ground floor.

Speaking to TNS, Rescue 1122 director general Rizwan Naseer says the plaza’s fire hydrants and emergency exit passages weren’t functional, which had hindered the fire extinguishing operation.

He says that some 20 vehicles and 60 personnel took part in the operation. Nearly all (404) shops, several counters and offices were reduced to ashes by the fire. “Had the Rescue teams not arrived in time, the fire could have caused even more devastation and spread to other buildings,” the DG says.

According to Naseer, unlike Hafeez Centre and some other plazas located in the area, Pace is enclosed from all sides, which is why the firefighters found it difficult to reach inside to put out the flames.

He claims that when the firefighters reached the spot, the fire had already developed into a huge blaze, as there was highly combustible material stored in the building.

Replying to a question, Naseer laments the fact that building bylaws and safety codes are being violated in the city.

On the other hand, the union office staff alleged that the owners of the plaza had a longstanding dispute with the shopkeepers. The president of the union, Irfan Latif, secretary general Mirza Amir Baig and other members have filed a complaint with the Gulberg police, nominating the owners. They have alleged that the Pace owners wanted to get the shops vacated as they had a plan to sell the shopping mall to another party. They say the fire was likely started on purpose.

The union leaders also reject the suggestion that the fire was caused by short-circuiting.

SP Essa Sukhaira, says that he happened to be on patrol duty on the night of the incident, “When I received the call of a fire eruption at Pace, I rushed to the spot and secured the area with the help of police and my personal staff. We tried our best to ensure unhindered firefighting operations, as a large number of onlookers had gathered there.”

Sukhaira says that it will be too early to draw conclusions until a forensic analysis of the building has been carried out.