A fire broke out on Monday night on the third floor of Parliament Lodges in Islamabad, causing damage to the apartment of PML-N leader and spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb, officials said.

PPP MNA Abrar Shah also confirmed the fire had broken out on the third floor, saying there was so much smoke that “one could not breathe properly”.

He said around 80 per cent of Aurangzeb’s flat had been burned. Aurangzeb was not present at the residence when the fire broke out.

The director of Parliament Lodges, in a media briefing on Tuesday, said the fire was first reported at 11:35pm on Monday, adding that it had been extinguished. He said two employees of Aurangzeb were rescued without any injuries, and that the exact cause of the fire was not yet known.

He said according to an employee, the fire erupted from a geyser in the gallery but added that it would be “premature to say how the fire started”.

Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla arrived at Parliament Lodges on Tuesday to review the damage. In a statement, he said he met with Aurangzeb’s mother, MNA Tahira Aurangzeb, to inquire about the incident and their safety.

“Thanks to Allah there were no casualties,” Mandviwalla said.