LAHORE: A fire suddenly broke out in shops located in the Model Bazaar of Green Town, engulfing three shops within moments.
According to Rescue officials, the fire started in vegetable and fruit shops. On receiving information, Rescue teams reached the scene and were engaged in bringing the fire under control.
Rescue officials said the determination of the causes of the fire will be made after the blaze is brought under control, while the losses sustained in the incident will also be assessed subsequently.
Model Bazaars were established by the Punjab government through the Punjab Model Bazaars Management Company as regulated retail venues intended to provide essential commodities — vegetables, fruit, groceries and meat — to consumers at controlled rates, bypassing intermediary margins in the conventional wholesale-to-retail chain.
The bazaars operate at fixed locations across Punjab’s cities, typically comprising rows of stalls and shops under shared covered structures, with vendors allotted space under arrangements administered by the management company.
The physical configuration of such markets carries inherent fire risk. Stalls are constructed in close proximity with minimal separation, frequently incorporating combustible materials in canopies, partitions and display fittings. Packaging material — cardboard cartons, wooden crates and plastic sheeting used extensively in fruit and vegetable retail — accumulates in and around stalls in substantial volume.
Electrical installations in market structures are a recurring ignition source. Vendors commonly add lighting, fans, cooling equipment and refrigeration units to circuits designed for lower loads, and connections are often made informally without inspection or certification.
Once ignition occurs, the density of combustible material and the absence of fire separation between adjacent units allows lateral spread at speed. The description of three shops being engulfed within moments is consistent with this pattern.
Rescue 1122, the Punjab Emergency Service, operates fire tenders alongside its ambulance fleet and maintains stations distributed across Lahore. Response effectiveness at market fires depends substantially on access — whether tenders can reach the seat of the fire through market lanes, and whether a sustained water supply is available in the vicinity.
The provincial government has separately ordered a review and expansion of fire hydrant infrastructure around major public buildings, an initiative that reflects recognition of the water availability constraint that firefighting crews encounter at urban incidents.
For vendors operating at the retail margin, a fire that destroys stock and fixtures represents the loss of working capital that in many cases cannot be replaced without borrowing. Insurance penetration among small market traders in Pakistan is minimal, meaning losses are generally absorbed entirely by the affected trader.
The assessment of damage was pending at the time of reporting.
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