A fire outbreak has destroyed six houses, shops and storage facilities at Kofar Wanbai Market in Kano State.
The fire broke out around 9:43pm on Friday at Babban Layi, Yan Robobi section of the market, according to the Kano State Fire Service.
The agency’s Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday.
According to the statement, the Fire Service received a distress call from one of its officers, Principal Fire Superintendent Usman Idris Fagge, prompting the deployment of firefighters from its headquarters and stations in Rijiyar Zaki, Sabon Gari, Government House and Bompai.
Abdullahi said the fire affected properties identified as Gidan Alhaji Sani, Gidan Sani Muhammad, Gidan Alhaji Kwa Kwa, Gidan Alhaji Shafi’u and Gidan Alhaji Sulaiman.
He said the affected two-storey building, measuring approximately 120 by 125 feet, was being used for plastic shops and storage facilities.
According to the Fire Service, two shops on the ground floor, two shops on the first floor, six stores and four temporary stores on the upper floor were affected.
The agency said the fire started on the upper floor and spread to the lower levels before firefighters arrived and contained the blaze, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the market.
“The cause of the fire was traced to a solar system,” Abdullahi said.
The Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, urged traders and residents to take necessary precautions to prevent fire outbreaks.
He advised them to install fire detectors and keep functional fire extinguishers in their homes and business premises, while complying with established fire-safety regulations.
