Fire Razed 44 Shops at Kano Market

By Samuel Solomon

The Kano State Fire Service have confirmed a fire incident destroying goods and property worth millions of naira in a statement issued by its Public Relationships Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi.

According to the statement, the fire, which occurred around 5:00am, started from a building known as Alhaji Abdulmunafi Yunusa House and quickly spread to nearby structures before firefighters contained it.

“Our men from various fire stations within the Kano metropolitan area rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call from one Mubarak Muhammad. On arrival, they found a one-storey building measuring about 150 by 150 feet engulfed in flames,” Abdullahi stated.

He explained that the fire destroyed 25 temporary shops attached to the front of the building and 19 stores on the upper floor. However, firefighters managed to save 24 other stores upstairs and all the shops on the ground floor.

Abdullahi noted that the operation was hampered by obstructions caused by trailers parked along the access road, which delayed the response time.

The PRO said investigations revealed that the inferno was likely triggered by a faulty electrical connection.

“During our investigation, the head of the house, Ambassador Garba Ibrahim Mai Maggie, and one of the security personnel, Malam Ibrahim, informed us that the building uses a single electric switch for the entire structure. We suspect that an electrical fault from this switch caused the fire, which started from the temporary shops,” he added.

He commended firefighters for preventing the blaze from spreading to adjoining buildings and urged residents and traders to ensure proper electrical installations in their business premises.