80 shops gutted as massive fire engulfs market in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A fire broke out in the Nauthia Phattak area on Saturday morning (June 30), destroying at least 80 shops and injuring three people.

According to media reports, Rescue 1122 officials said the fire started in a small makeshift structure alongside the railway line and spread to nearby shops.

The fire engulfed wooden cabins and a power transformer and even power cables also caught fire, affecting the nearby markets.

The report said district administration officials said a probe was under way to ascertain the cause of the incident. They also said they’re assessing the damage with the help of the trader body’s members.

The officials said the fire erupted around 10 AM at a makeshift structure before engulfing the adjacent shops, which mostly deal in secondhand clothes, shoes and curtains.

Rescue officials and fire fighters from Peshawar, Nowshera, Khyber and Charsadda districts controlled the fire in six hours with around 80,000 litres of water and foam.

Around 110 personnel took part in the operation with four being shifted to a nearby hospital due to health issues.

Rescue officials added that the wooden cabins caught fire due to strong winds. It added that the fire engulfed three markets and was controlled after five hours but broke out again.

It said that a total of 15 fire vehicles, 110 personnel and three ambulances took part in the operation. However, there was no loss of life reported.