Fire erupted in an arms and ammunition market in a tribal town bordering Afghanistan on Saturday destroying several shops, officials and witnesses said.
"The fire erupted in a heavy weapons shop in Azam Warsak town and secondary explosions continued to rock the bazaar," local administration official Mohammad Rafiq told AFP.
There was no immediate report of casualties, he said, adding that people were seen vacating the market.
Witnesses contacted by telephone said the fire engulfed about a dozen shops in the Azam Warsak's market, 15 kilometres west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan.
One witness told AFP that the fire was triggered when a rocket or a mortar shell stored in a shop went off accidentally. Shopkeepers and customers rushed to safer places, he added.