ISLAMABAD: An eight-member committee has been constituted to inquire into the fire incident at the H-9 Sunday Bazaar.

The district magistrate formed the committee, comprising the additional deputy commissioner general, chief officer Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, superintendent of police (Soan), director Emergency and Disaster Management Capital Development Authority, assistant commissioner Industrial Area, assistant director Civil Defence and director district emergency officer Rawalpindi. The committee may also include any co-opted member.

The committee will assess the response time of rescue services, ascertain the cause of the fire and factors that led to its spread and determine the extent of damage. It will also examine ways to ensure the functioning of the remaining safe parts of the venue and make any other findings or recommendations.

The committee has been directed to submit its report within three days.

Meanwhile, the capital police have also registered a report on the incident. According to the report, Safe City Islamabad informed police that a sudden fire broke out in stalls at the Weekly Bazaar, engulfing a large area.

Upon receiving the information, police reached the site and deployed personnel to assist firefighters. The fire engulfed several stalls in the bazaar’s thrift section. Firefighters took two to three hours to extinguish the blaze.

It could not be determined from which stall the fire originated or how it spread to other stalls. No evidence has so far been received to establish the cause of the fire.

Safe City cameras will be examined, and watchmen and other individuals present at the time of the incident will be investigated. Action will be taken based on the findings.

A massive fire broke out at the bazaar on Tuesday night, engulfing a large number of stalls. The fire erupted in Block C of the bazaar, which houses mostly thrift stalls of clothing and shoes, and spread rapidly, prompting a large-scale emergency response. Fortunately, no loss of life or injuries were reported.

However, the fire gutted hundreds of stalls and the merchandise stored inside them.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2026