A DEVASTATING early morning fire has destroyed no fewer than 50 shops at the Fatima Simra Multi-Purpose Market in the Dakata area of Kano State, leaving traders in shock and counting their losses.
News Point Nigeria reports that the blaze, which reportedly began around 5:40 a.m. on Friday, swept through a section of the busy market known for housing small-scale industrial and recycling businesses.
Chairman of the market’s fire committee, Dauda Haruna Chula, confirmed the incident, describing the situation as alarming as flames continued to rage hours after the outbreak.
“From the preliminary what we have seen, about 50 shops are already down and the fire is still ongoing. We are still expecting the Kano State Fire Service personnel,” Chula said.
According to Chula, most of the affected shops were engaged in oil production and the recycling of plastics and nylon materials, activities that may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire due to the highly flammable nature of their contents.
Thick smoke billowed into the early morning sky as traders and residents scrambled to salvage goods and prevent the flames from spreading to adjoining sections of the market.
Chula noted that market officials immediately reached out to the Kano State Fire Service and other relevant agencies for intervention.
“We did as much as we could to call them and inform them of the situation on the ground. I can hear the sound of their car right now,” he added, expressing cautious relief at the approaching emergency responders.As of the time of filing this report, the full extent of the damage had yet to be determined, and it remained unclear whether there were any casualties.
However, some traders voiced concern over what they described as a delayed emergency response, fearing that the number of destroyed shops could rise if the fire was not swiftly contained.
The incident comes barely one week after a major inferno ravaged the popular Singer Market in Kano, reportedly affecting more than 1,000 traders and causing massive economic losses.
