Islamabad H-9 Bazaar Fire Destroys Hundreds of Stalls
A major fire tore through Islamabad’s H-9 Weekly Bazaar on Tuesday night, destroying hundreds of stalls and triggering an emergency response from the capital’s rescue, police and district administration teams. The blaze erupted in Block C, an area largely occupied by shoe vendors, and spread rapidly through the congested marketplace.
Officials said emergency crews were dispatched soon after the fire was reported, while police and local administration staff moved to secure the area and support rescue work. The bazaar, commonly known as Itwar Bazaar or Sunday Bazaar, operates on Fridays, Tuesdays and Sundays, making the timing especially concerning because traders had been active in the market earlier in the day.
The scale of the flames forced authorities to call in assistance from neighbouring Rawalpindi. Additional fire engines and rescue personnel joined the operation as firefighters worked to stop the blaze from spreading further across the market’s closely packed stalls. Initial assessments indicated that a large number of businesses had suffered heavy damage, though a final estimate was not immediately available.
Assistant Commissioner I-9 was present at the site and supervised the firefighting operation, according to officials cited in the report. Authorities said the cause of the fire could not be determined immediately, and efforts to fully control the situation were still underway when the initial report was filed.
The incident has revived long-running concerns about safety arrangements at one of Islamabad’s busiest public markets. Traders at weekly bazaars often work in tightly arranged rows of stalls where merchandise, temporary wiring and narrow access paths can make fires difficult to contain once they begin spreading.
The H-9 Weekly Bazaar has faced repeated fire incidents in recent years, creating a troubling pattern for both shopkeepers and civic authorities. Tuesday night’s blaze was reported as the fifth major fire at the market since 2017, highlighting persistent questions over fire prevention systems, electrical safety checks and emergency preparedness.
In August 2017, a major blaze in Block C destroyed around 550 stalls selling garments, utensils and snacks, while dozens of other stalls in Block H and the shoe market were also damaged. In July 2018, about 110 stalls were reduced to ashes in the E and F blocks, followed by another large fire in October 2019 that gutted around 300 stalls across multiple sections.
The pattern continued in December 2022, when 133 stalls were burned in another incident, and again in July 2024, when nearly 700 stalls were destroyed after flames spread through the garment section following rainfall. Authorities at the time suspected an electrical short circuit, but the recurrence of such incidents has kept pressure on officials to review market safety infrastructure more seriously.
For Islamabad’s small traders, the latest fire is more than a physical loss; it threatens livelihoods built around low-cost retail and daily cash flow. Many stallholders depend on weekly sales to support families, and the destruction of stock, structures and equipment can take months to recover from without compensation or quick rehabilitation.
The next steps will depend on the official damage assessment, the fire department’s findings and any inquiry into the cause of the blaze. Traders are likely to demand both immediate relief and stronger preventive measures so that one of the capital’s most visited public bazaars does not continue facing the same disaster cycle.