ISLAMABAD (Lord Media): An inquiry report on the fire incident at H-9 market has been released, revealing several critical findings. The report states that the fire originated at stalls C-432 and C-433. Shopkeepers attempted to extinguish the fire at 9:45 PM, and the fire brigade was notified at 9:51 PM.
The report mentions that the first fire brigade vehicle arrived at the market at 10:02 PM, with Rawalpindi Rescue and Pakistan Navy water browsers also participating in the rescue operations. The fire was fully controlled by 1:20 AM.
The report uncovers that vendors were using stalls as warehouses and renting them out, neglecting fire safety standards. At the time of the fire, no fire tender was on duty, and the watchmen attempted to extinguish the fire instead of notifying rescue services.
The committee has made recommendations to prevent future incidents, including banning storage in stalls at night, conducting a fire safety audit of the market, and prohibiting the use of flammable tarpaulins.
Recommendations also include banning subleasing of stalls and canceling allotments for violations. The committee has also suggested improvements in emergency services’ performance.
