Over 150 stalls burnt to ashes at Islamabad’s Sunday Bazaar

At least 150 stalls set up at Islamabad's Sunday Bazaar in Sector H-9 were burnt to ashes on Wednesday. However, no casualties have been reported so far.

According to media reports, the blaze reportedly engulfed makeshift shops near gate seven of the bazaar which sells second-hand clothing and carpets.

Rescue officials said that 10 fire brigade vehicles are engaged in extinguishing the fire. Two fire tenders of the Pakistan Air Force are also trying to douse the blaze.

Meanwhile, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan has taken notice of the incident. He sought a report from the district administration and ordered the deputy commissioner to monitor the rescue operation.

A charred history

This was not the first time that the bazaar caught fire. In October 2019, over 300 stalls were gutted in an early morning blaze.

Islamabad DC Hamza Shafqaat had promised "foolproof arrangements" to prevent any such incident in future.

Also read: 90 stalls gutted at Sunday bazaar

In July 2018, At least 90 shops and stalls were gutted in the clothing and hosiery section in a similar fire.

In August 2017, a fire had broken out in sections E and F of the bazaar after a solar-powered battery exploded in a hosiery stall. Coincidentally, that incident also took place on a Wednesday when there was no one around.

A subsequent inquiry found that the fire could have been put out soon after it broke out only if the shopkeepers followed the prescribed safety measures and had fire extinguishers installed.

According to the rules and regulations of allotment of stalls, stallholders can operate from sunrise to sunset. They are not allowed to use electricity inside their stalls nor can they build a gate or place locks on their stalls.

The regulations also prohibit stallholders from establishing permanent structures and are bound to shift their merchandise from the bazaar once it closes for the week.

The Sector H-9 weekly bazaar was set up in 1980 and in 2006, the CDA rebuilt the market over 25 acres of land with proper planning at a cost of Rs160 million with a capacity for 2,760 stalls. The bazaar is held thrice a week including Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.