Pakistan, June 8 -- A wrecking fire broke out late Saturday night in Nowshera, causing widespread destruction and reducing more than 200 shops to ashes. Initial reports on Sunday indicate that merchandise worth millions of rupees was destroyed in the blaze.

According to rescue and local sources, the fire erupted due to unknown reasons and rapidly spread throughout the market, engulfing shop after shop within a short period. The intensity of the flames left shopkeepers with little or no opportunity to save their goods. The affected businesses included clothing stores, footwear outlets, general merchandise shops, electronics stores and other commercial establishments.

Large stocks of goods stored inside the shops were completely destroyed...