Six family members, including four children, die in Peshawar house fire

Rescue 1122 spokesperson says family members are believed to have died from smoke inhalation and extreme heat

Six members of a family, including a husband, wife and their four children, were killed after a fire swept through their home in Peshawar on Thursday, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), told The Express Tribune.

According to Faizi, the blaze broke out at a house in the Tehkal Payan area. The fire originated in a section of the property where furniture, foam and other materials were stored.

“Firefighters brought the blaze under control before searching the house. During the operation, they recovered the bodies of six family members from one of the rooms,” he said.

Faizi identified the victims as 55-year-old Siraj, his 40-year-old wife and their four children: Hanaya, 9, Harira, 11, Minhal, 3, and Hasnain, 4.

“The family is believed to have died from smoke inhalation and extreme heat. The cause of the fire has not yet been established and remains under investigation,” he added.

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Siraj Munir, the head of the family, was a leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).

The latest fire adds to a series of fatal incidents involving gas leaks, LPG cylinders, and residential fires reported across the country this year.

In February, at least seven children were killed and more than two dozen other people, including women and children, were injured when a suspected gas cylinder explosion ripped through a house in the Torpal area of Chaman, Balochistan. The blast destroyed part of the house, trapping the children beneath the rubble. Authorities later launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion.

Read: At least seven children killed in cylinder explosion at Chaman home in Balochistan

In January, a three-month-old baby was killed and four other people, including two women, were injured in three separate gas leak and fire incidents in Rawalpindi. District authorities subsequently banned illegal gas cylinder filling and the sale of substandard cylinders, ordering a crackdown on unsafe practices.

The city has continued to witness similar incidents. In June, three people were injured after a suspected gas leak triggered an explosion and fire at a house in Rawalpindi's Muhalla Hukumdad. Rescue officials said the victims suffered burn injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Data released by the LPG Distributors Association showed that 488 LPG-related explosions and fire incidents were reported across Punjab between 1 January 2022 and 10 December 2025. The incidents killed at least 25 people and injured more than 240 others, leaving several victims with permanent disabilities.