Abdul Matin Qane, spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Interior, has announced that the fire that broke out last night in Kabul’s Mandawi market was caused by an electrical short circuit, resulting in the burning of eight shops.
In a statement posted today on X, Qane said the incident occurred on Monday evening (1 Saratan) at the “Zardad” market in the Mandawi area of Police District 1 in Kabul.
He added that the market contains more than 500 shops, including 205 shops and 300 storage units.
According to him, eight shops were damaged in the fire, while 497 other shops and warehouses were saved due to the rapid response of the fire-fighting teams.
The Taliban Ministry of Interior spokesperson stated that the incident caused an estimated 8 million Afghanis in financial losses, while approximately 480 million Afghanis worth of merchants’ and shopkeepers’ goods were rescued from the fire.
The primary cause of the fire was identified as an electrical short circuit.
Kabul’s Mandawi market, one of the busiest commercial hubs and a major wholesale center in the city, has previously experienced multiple fires caused by electrical faults.
In the most recent similar incident, in the month of Qaws last year, the “Mir Alam Shoe Market” was also engulfed in a fire due to an electrical short circuit, resulting in the destruction of eight shops and ten warehouses, with estimated damages of around 700,000 US dollars.
Shopkeepers in Kabul’s Mandawi market attribute the repeated fires to irregular electricity supply and the non-standard, outdated condition of the markets’ electrical infrastructure, which they consider a major threat to their investments.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
