H-9 Market Fire Began at Two Stalls, Inquiry Report Recommends Major Safety Reforms

ISLAMABAD: The inquiry committee constituted by the Islamabad district administration to investigate the recent fire at H-9 Bazaar has released its findings, revealing multiple fire safety shortcomings and operational issues while recommending comprehensive reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
According to the report, the fire initially broke out at Stalls C-432 and C-433. However, the committee stated that the exact cause of the blaze can only be established after the forensic team’s report is received.
The committee recorded statements from security personnel as well as several vendors during the investigation. It found that the fire erupted at around 9:45 pm, after which security guards initially attempted to extinguish it on their own instead of immediately informing emergency responders.
The report states that the Fire Brigade was contacted at 9:51 pm, while its first vehicle entered the market at 10:02 pm. Assistant Commissioner I-9, the first government officer to reach the scene, arrived at 9:57 pm.
Emergency operations involved teams from Capital Emergency Services, Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi, fire tenders from the Jinnah Convention Centre, and water browsers from Naval Headquarters. The blaze was brought completely under control at approximately 1:20 am.
The inquiry further revealed that many vendors had been using their stalls as storage facilities by keeping excessive goods inside after business hours. It also noted that several stalls had allegedly been sublet to other individuals, resulting in poor compliance with fire safety standards.
According to the report, market guards had received fire safety training once three years ago and twice again during 2025. However, the committee observed that the designated fire tender was not present at its assigned location when the incident occurred. Rescue authorities informed investigators that the vehicle had temporarily left to refill its water tank.
The committee also concluded that the market lacked adequate facilities to contain a sudden fire, contributing to the rapid spread of the blaze.
To reduce future risks, the inquiry committee recommended banning overnight storage of goods inside stalls, restricting vendors to keeping merchandise only during official market hours, conducting a comprehensive fire safety audit, prohibiting the use of highly flammable tarpaulin sheets, banning stall subletting with cancellation of allotments for violators, and strengthening emergency response operations across the market.
The district administration is expected to review the recommendations before deciding on their implementation.