Fire razes 6 houses, shops in Kano market

A fire outbreak has destroyed six houses containing plastic shops and storage facilities at Kofar Wanbai Market in Kano State, with firefighters preventing the inferno from spreading to other sections of the busy market.

The incident occurred at about 9:43pm on Friday at the Babban Layi section of the market, popularly known as Yan Robobi (plastic) market. Blueprint reports

Inferno starts from upper floor

The Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, said the fire started from the upper floor of one of the buildings before spreading to the first and ground floors.

According to him, the affected buildings included Gidan Alhaji Sani, Gidan Sani Muhammad, Gidan Alhaji Kwa Kwa, Gidan Alhaji Shafi’u and Gidan Alhaji Sulaiman.

He said the affected structure measured approximately 120 by 125 feet and contained several shops and storage facilities used by traders dealing in plastic products.

Firefighters prevent wider destruction

Yusif said personnel from the Kano State Fire Service headquarters and stations at Rijiyar Zaki, Sabon Gari, Government House and Bompai responded to the emergency.

He explained that the firefighters succeeded in containing the flames and prevented them from spreading to other parts of the market.

“The fire started from the upper floor before spreading to the first and ground floors,” he said.

He added that the affected building housed two shops on the ground floor, two shops on the first floor, six stores and four temporary stores on the upper floor.

Solar system suspected

Yusif said preliminary investigation indicated that the fire may have been caused by a solar power system installed in the affected premises.

He, however, did not disclose the estimated value of goods and property destroyed in the incident.

Fire service urges traders to take precautions

The Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Sani Anas, urged traders and residents to adopt proactive measures to prevent similar incidents.

Anas advised members of the public to install functional fire detectors and ensure that fire extinguishers were readily available in homes, shops and other business premises.

He also urged traders to strictly comply with fire-safety regulations, particularly in markets where flammable materials and other combustible goods are stored.

The director stressed the importance of early detection and immediate response to fire emergencies to minimise loss of lives and property.