H-9 Bazaar Fire Inquiry Recommends Enhanced Emergency Response Protocols

• Strict ban also sought on keeping goods in stalls during night hours;
• The committee recommended conducting a fire safety audit of the market;
• A ban on the use of tarpaulins and restriction on subletting stalls

ISLAMABAD: A committee formed to investigate last month’s fire at H-9 weekly bazaar has proposed measures to bolster emergency response systems and prevent future incidents.

The district magistrate established an eight-member inquiry panel on June 23 to examine the blaze’s causes and response effectiveness.

The committee included representatives from local authorities, emergency services, and security officials tasked with determining fire origins, assessing rescue timelines, and evaluating damage scales.

Besides advising improved emergency operations, the panel recommended prohibiting overnight storage of goods in stalls, mandating stall usage only during market hours, and instituting fire safety audits.

Additional suggestions included banning fire-risk tarpaulins and restricting subletting, with penalties for non-compliance.

During the inquiry, statements from shopkeepers and security personnel revealed vendors used stalls as storage spaces and neglected safety standards. Guards received fire training biennially, including in 2025.

The fire originated in stalls C-432 and C-433 at 9:45pm, with initial self-extinguishing efforts. Fire services arrived at 10:02pm, though the first officer reached the site at 9:57pm.

Capacity Emergency Services, Rawalpindi Rescue 1122, and Jinnah Convention Center units responded. The blaze was contained by 1:20am, damaging hundreds of stalls despite no casualties.

Witness accounts indicated delayed reporting, with watchmen attempting to control flames before notifying authorities. Inadequate infrastructure hampered rapid response.

Forensic analysis will determine ignition sources. This incident marks the fifth bazaar fire since 2017, with similar patterns of rapid spread in garment and footwear sectors.

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