Up in smoke: Fire erupts at Accountant General's Office

People inside the building ran up to the roof to escape the blaze

LAHORE: The administration office of the Accountant General’s Department caught fire in an incident in Old Anarkali on Tuesday.

The fire reportedly broke out at 9:30am. According to an eyewitness, a worker had turned on an air conditioner of the office on the second floor and left the room.

After some time, nearby people saw flames erupting from the room and called rescue teams. Rescue officials reached the spot to control the blaze.

However, the fire had engulfed the whole room and thick layers of smoke had spread through the building. People inside the building ran up to the roof to avert the situation, while the condition of a few also deteriorated due to suffocation.

Rescue teams controlled the blaze after an hour. The administration office of AG department carried records of employees of Punjab. Earlier in 2013, many precious lives were lost and records were gutted in a fire incident at the Lahore Development Authority Plaza.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2017.