No lessons learnt: A timeline of hospital fires reported in Pakistan since 2010
Dawn
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Fourteen infants were https://www.dawn.com/news/2025385/14-infants-killed-in-fire-at-pims-gynae-ward-in-islamabad">killed in a fire that broke out in the gynaecology ward of Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday morning.
Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.
Here are some of the fire incidents reported in hospitals since 2010.
November 9, 2025: A fire caused extensive damage to the emergency and dialysis section of thehttps://www.dawn.com/news/1954156"> Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences in Sehwan.
No casualties occurred as the section was closed.
October 18, 2025: A fire broke out in the basement of https://www.dawn.com/news/1949803">Ziauddin Hospital in Karachi’s Clifton.
Officials said a timely response prevented any major material losses.
June 8, 2024: https://www.dawn.com/news/1839937">Eleven infants died in the paediatric medicine ward of the https://www.dawn.com/news/1838709">Sahiwal Teaching Hospital due to a short circuit in the air conditioning system.
February 11, 2024: Four hospital employees, including two paramedics, died after a fire erupted at the emergency department of Karachi’s https://www.dawn.com/news/1813366">Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad.
Three other employees also sustained serious burn injuries.
January 14, 2024: A fire erupted in Peshawar’s private https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=15_01_2024_009_001" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shireen Shah Hospital.
No casualties were reported.
May 27, 2023: A newborn died while another suffered burns after a fire erupted in the paediatric nursery of Lahore’s https://www.dawn.com/news/1756297">Children’s Hospital.
September 23, 2022: A fire broke out on the second floor of the children’s ward of the https://www.dawn.com/news/1711685/fire-at-childrens-ward-of-dhq-hospital">Narowal District Headquarters Hospital, triggering the evacuation of 40 children and five women.
September 5, 2022: Medical equipment and other goods were reduced to ashes after a fire erupted in an operating theatre at Lahore’shttps://www.dawn.com/news/1708639"> Jinnah Hospital.
No injury was reported to any staff member or patient.
June 9, 2022: Lahore’shttps://www.dawn.com/news/1694016"> Services Hospital administration closed down the Diabetic Management Centre after a fire gutted furniture, office records and other valuables.
June 4, 2022: A massive fire erupted on the third floor of the outpatient department at the https://www.dawn.com/news/1693172">Children Hospital in Lahore, gutting medicines worth millions.
January 17, 2022: A welder died while an employee suffered serious wounds when a fire broke out at a https://www.dawn.com/news/1670085">private hospital on Karachi’s M. A. Jinnah Road.
August 6, 2021: A fire broke out at a https://www.dawn.com/news/1639152">children’s hospital in Larkana.
No casualties were reported but the fire caused the hospital’s power supply to be suspended for about six hours.
May 23, 2021: Fifteen children were affected at https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=24_05_2021_178_013" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sialkot’s Govt Sardar Begum Memorial Teaching Hospital when a room in the Covid-19 vaccination centre caught fire.
March 7, 2021: A fire erupted in the paediatrics ward ofhttps://www.dawn.com/news/1611323"> Lahore’s Mayo Hospital, forcing the administration to shift patients to other wards.
No loss of life or injury was reported.
June 13, 2020: A woman died while eight others, including doctors, paramedics and patients, suffered minor injuries when a fire erupted in the operation theatre of the emergency ward at https://www.dawn.com/news/1563316/woman-dies-eight-others-injured-as-fire-erupts-in-services-emergency">Services Hospital in Lahore.
May 10, 2020: A fire broke out in the basement of thehttps://www.dawn.com/news/1556208"> Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology.
The patients were shifted to different wards after thick smoke spread in the building.
February 7, 2020: A fire in the physiotherapy department ofhttps://www.dawn.com/news/1533087"> Rawalpindi’s District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital reduced furniture to ashes and damaged machines.
January 9, 2020: A newborn girl died when an incubator caught fire at Karachi’shttps://www.dawn.com/news/1527269"> National Institute of Child Health — the largest children’s hospital in Sindh.
October 15, 2019: A fire broke out in the musafirkhana ofhttps://www.dawn.com/news/1511111"> Lahore’s Mayo Hospital, creating a stampede-like situation.
No casualties were reported.
June 6, 2018: A huge fire destroyed five residential quarters for doctors on the premises ofhttps://www.dawn.com/news/1412674"> Mansehra’s Garhi Habibullah Civil Hospital.
No casualties were reported.
August 3, 2017: Hundreds of patients, their attendants, doctors and paramedics had to be evacuated from Sialkot’shttps://www.dawn.com/news/1349525/hospital-building-evacuated-after-massive-fire"> Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital after a massive fire broke out in the facility’s luggage store.
July 17, 2016: Twenty patients suffered serious burns when a fire broke out at a https://www.dawn.com/news/1271459/20-patients-suffer-burns-as-fire-hits-dadu-hospital">private hospital in Dadu after a gas cylinder exploded.
February 10, 2014: A fire broke out in the basement ofhttps://www.dawn.com/news/1086229"> Multan’s Nishtar Hospital emergency ward.
The smoke affected six patients and emergency services remained suspended for two-and-half-hours.
July 13, 2013: A fire erupted in the paediatrics ward of https://www.dawn.com/news/1028820/fire-at-hospitals-paeds-ward">Faisalabad’s Allied Hospital, affecting two minors.
June 20, 2013: A fire broke out in the Angiography Laboratory of thehttps://www.dawn.com/news/1019692/fire-breaks-out-at-pic-lab"> Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, burning instruments worth thousands.
June 7, 2012: At least four newborns died and 17 received burn injuries when a fire erupted in https://www.dawn.com/news/724660/fire-kills-four-new-borns-in-lahores-sevices-hospital">Lahore’s Services Hospital.
February 20, 2012: Two surgical units, other costly equipment and furniture were reduced to ashes when a heavy fire broke out in the dental ward of Dadu’s https://www.dawn.com/news/696923">Civil Hospital.
November 19, 2010: At least six patients became unconscious while several others, including attendants and hospital staff, suffered minor respiratory problems after smoke engulfed the Intensive Care Unit of Lahore’shttps://www.dawn.com/news/583463/six-patients-faint-in-mayo-fire"> Mayo Hospital’s emergency block following a short circuit.
October 5, 2010: A two-year-old boy and a man received burn injuries, while equipment worth over Rs30 million was damaged when a fire broke out in three operation theatres of Lahore’shttps://www.dawn.com/news/568656/services-hospital-fire-burns-rs30m-operation-theatres"> Services Hospital.