Early yesterday morning, a powerful fire swept through the “Mir Alam” shoe trading complex in the Mandawi area of Kabul city after an electrical short circuit sparked the blaze. Shopkeepers said the fire broke out around 4:00 a.m. and burned for nearly eight hours before firefighting forces under Taliban control brought it under control at about 12:00 noon. Taliban officials reported that the fire destroyed at least 10 warehouses and eight shops, causing an estimated 700,000 US dollars in damage.
Several shopkeepers and eyewitnesses told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the fire inflicted severe financial losses. They said the flames wiped out years of hard-earned capital and forced their businesses to shut down completely. Many also voiced deep concern about the repeated fires in Mandawi markets and the absence of proper safety measures in trading complexes.
Ajmal Noorzai (pseudonym), used by a shopkeeper in Mandawi, recalled arriving at the complex around 6:00 a.m. to start his workday and facing a shocking sight. Flames climbed from the upper floors of the building, while thick smoke covered the entire area and made it difficult to breathe.
“This fire caused massive losses for shopkeepers,” Noorzai said. “Hundreds of shops were either fully or partially destroyed, and the savings we built over years of hard work vanished in a single morning.”
Describing the moment he arrived, he said, “When I came to work at six in the morning, fire was pouring out of the building. The complex has three or four floors, all packed with shoes, sandals, kremch, and boots. Sadly, a huge amount of merchandise was burned and lost.”
Noorzai added that between 500 and 600 shoe and kremch shops were operating in the complex at the time, and most of them fell victim to the fire.
Soroush Mobarez, another shopkeeper who works near the complex, said the fire brought daily life in the surrounding area to a standstill. He explained that many shopkeepers and day laborers were unable to work because Taliban forces sealed off the area and stopped all commercial activity.
“Today, the Taliban closed several shops to clear the area,” Mobarez said. “Blocking the entire area was necessary to keep the fire from spreading to other markets. Shopkeepers and those who manage trading complexes must take proper safety precautions when closing their shops to prevent similar disasters in the future.”
As firefighters contained the blaze in Mandawi, Kabul, the Taliban announced that the incident caused about 700,000 US dollars in losses. The Taliban Ministry of Interior confirmed that the fire damaged 10 warehouses and eight shops. Officials said the fire started around 4:00 a.m. and resulted from an electrical short circuit.
Mandawi market is one of the oldest and busiest commercial centers in Kabul city, attracting thousands of shopkeepers and customers every day. In recent years, similar fires have repeatedly struck trading complexes and markets in this area, often caused by electrical short circuits, non-standard wiring systems, and a lack of basic safety equipment.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
آتش در مندوی کابل؛ دارایی سالها زحمت دکانداران به دلیل شارتی برق خاکستر شد
