Two people were killed, and at least six others were injured after a fire broke out at a hotel in Lahore’s Gulberg area, hospital and rescue officials said on Saturday.

Hospital authorities confirmed the deaths of 30-year-old Imran and 25-year-old Shehryar, who were among those rescued from the building. The bodies were shifted to hospital following the operation.

Rescue 1122 said six injured people were pulled from the affected hotel, while one employee, identified as Riaz, remains missing. A total of 275 guests and staff were safely evacuated during the operation.

Seven individuals were retrieved from severely affected areas of the hotel, rescue officials said. Among the injured, a man identified as Mubeen sustained burn injuries to around 40 per cent of his body.

According to a Rescue spokesperson, the control room received an emergency call at 12:25 p.m., after which 21 emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene. Firefighters later brought the blaze under control, while cooling operations are continuing as smoke persists in the basement.

Officials said the fire broke out in a 19-storey hotel plaza spread over four kanals and comprising three basement levels. Basement One was reported to be the most severely affected by the fire.

Search and rescue operations are continuing to trace the missing employee as teams work to clear smoke-filled areas of the building, officials added.

CM praises rescue response

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said in a post on X that the response team was mobilised immediately, with Energy Minister Faisal Khokhar, the commissioner, deputy commissioner and other officials present on site to oversee the operation.

She said the explosion of the air-conditioning system boiler was severe but added that the “swift, professional and heroic response” of Rescue 1122 and the Fire Brigade helped bring the fire under control.

She also noted that newly installed fire hydrants were fully functional and that recently implemented standard operating procedures played a critical role in containing the incident.

The chief minister said strict directives had been issued to ensure that all commercial boiler and cylinder installations across Punjab comply with safety standards, warning that any premises found compromising public safety would be sealed immediately.