A fire that broke out in a weekly market in Islamabad’s H-9 area on Wednesday has been brought under control, officials said.
The blaze, which erupted at around 6pm, was doused by more than 10 fire tenders and other rescue teams.
According to Islamabad DC Irfan Nawaz Memon, no loss of life or injuries were reported. “The cooling process is going on. The situation is under control,” he said, revealing that clothing and carpet stalls had caught fire.
Talking to the media, Memon said the affected area has been sealed for the night with police forces deployed to prevent any theft of shopkeepers’ goods.
“Around 20 per cent of the market has been affected due to the fire.”
He stated that the market would remain open as per routine on Friday and that a committee was formed to determine the fire’s causes. It will present recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future, the official said.
Memon added that the power supply in the area was briefly suspended to prevent any loss of life.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad police has issued an updated traffic plan and requested the commuters to cooperate with rescue officials.
Earlier, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah took notice of the incident and summoned a report from the district administration. “All resources should be used to extinguish the fire,” the interior minister said.