Huge fire burns down more than 300 shops in Islamabad's Sunday Bazaar

ISLAMABAD: Fire brigade and other rescue teams have controlled the massive fire which engulfed the Sunday Bazaar in Islamabad's Peshawar Mor in H-9 Sector, officials said Wednesday.

Rescue 1122 from Rawalpindi and Pakistan Army personnel also took part in the operation to extinguish the blaze. The process of cooling is ongoing at the place of the incident.

The deputy commissioner told Geo News that the fire has affected 20% of the bazaar while the place where the fire broke out has been completely sealed.

He shared that a probe committee has been formed to determine the cause of the blaze, which burned down over 300 shops.

According to rescue sources, the blaze caught the bazaar’s gate number seven at the Srinagar Avenue section leaving several shops damaged and burnt to ashes in the process.

Most of the stalls and shops sold carpets and second-hand clothing for the winter season. However, no causalities were reported in the incident.

The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the city’s fire brigade department were engaged in extinguishing the fire, while the capital police and district administration were also present at the site of the incident, including the federal capital’s deputy commissioner.

At least 10 fire engines doused the fire. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had taken notice of the incident. He has directed the city’s deputy commissioner to personally monitor the situation and ensure all resources in putting out the fire.

The minister sought the incident’s report from the district administration of Islamabad.

According to Geo News, this was not the first time that this bazaar caught fire. A similar incident took place four times in the past leaving shops destroyed and shopkeepers bearing losses of millions of rupees as the business is heavily invested.

All routes going toward the bazaar have been sealed by the police. Taking to Twitter, the Islamabad police informed citizens to keep the adjacent part of the Srinagar Highway free and cooperate with rescue department.

It added that the traffic has been diverted toward the 9th Avenue.

Speaking to Geo News, the deputy commissioner said: "The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained, no casualty has been reported. The Islamabad and Rawalpindi's rescue teams are busy in getting the fire under control."

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy said that civil administration is also helping in dousing the blaze, while the navy's team and two of its fire brigades were also engaged in putting it out.