In brief
A fire broke out in an underground market in Mazar‑i‑Sharif on Friday, October 31, 2026, devastating 135 shops and causing heavy economic losses with no casualties reported. Local media TOLOnews confirmed the loss of clothing, footwear, and tourist office stalls. Investigation teams are on site to determine the cause, which remains unknown.
On Friday, October 31 2026, a devastating blaze tore through the underground Bakhtar Market in Mazar‑i‑Sharif, the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, reducing at least 135 shops to ash, Xinhua reported at 19:18 UTC, noting that the fire had completely consumed the market’s trading stalls.
The report said the blaze erupted late Friday, quickly engulfing the market’s crowded, subterranean corridors; investigators are recording that the incident inflicted heavy economic losses on traders and, so far, left no human casualties, the agency added.
Local media outlet TOLOnews confirmed that the fire had gutted clothing stores, footwear outlets, and tourist office stalls in the market, according to the KABUL‑based Xinhua coverage.
The underground Bakhtar Market has long been the city’s bustling commercial hub beneath Mazar‑i‑Sharif’s streets, hosting a mix of clothing retailers, footwear shops and tourist information offices, Xinhua noted.
Investigation teams have already been dispatched to the scene, with authorities conducting a thorough inquiry to determine the cause of the blaze; the cause remains unknown as investigators continue their work, the report said.
The incident is described as a significant blow to the local economy, with 135 shops destroyed and heavy losses for the individuals and businesses that operated there, Xinhua added.
No human casualties have been reported to date, and the ongoing inquiry into the fire’s origins is progressing, Xinhua said at 19:18 UTC on October 31 2026.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, with investigators searching for clues amid the wreckage, Xinhua said.